As the Russia-Trump investigation heats up, Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz suddenly needs surgery for a long-standing pre-existing condition.
Chaffetz posted an x-ray of his foot on Instagram, writing, "Almost 12 years ago, I shattered several bones in my foot which required 14 screws and a metal plate to repair. Yes, I wish I could say I was cliff diving in Mexico but the truth is I fell off a ladder while repairing something in my garage."
It now needs sudden attention! "The University of Utah doctors now recommend immediate surgery to remove all the hardware or I could be at risk for serious infection. My recovery is expected to take three to four weeks."
He went on to say, "This is not an opportune time to be away but medical emergencies are never convenient. I appreciate my constituent’s patience and understanding as I take time to recover."
While I'm certain Chaffetz wouldn't be lying about anything (would he???), I was unable to find any reputable articles saying 12-year old ankle hardware is an emergency infection risk in an (admittedly quick) internet search. I did find plenty of links suggesting that hardware removal eased pain associated with ankle hardware and is a common elective surgery.
His surgery will take awhile to recover from -- three to four weeks, to be exact. So Chaffetz is leaving RIGHT NOW while the government is days away from a shutdown, the investigations into Flynn, Trump and Russia are heating up, and Trumpcare is being negotiated amongst his fellow lawmakers.
That's convenient, and Twitter noticed.
You cannot make this stuff up. Does he want to avoid the tough vote on Trumpcare? Is he trying to gum up the Russia investigation? Or is the pressure of governing getting to him?
Maybe he just wanted to deal with his pre-existing condition before Congress takes that protection away, since he's leaving Congress in 2018?
So much hypocrisy, so little time.