Former Utah congressman and former chairman of the House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz says Fox News was the lone network that refused to let major Washington scandals disappear after the initial press releases ran dry. In a recent opinion piece, Chaffetz recalls how, as a freshman lawmaker in 2009, he was invited onto Fox’s “Cavuto” program because his refusal to load pork into an omnibus was newsworthy, not because of his family name.
Fast & Furious and the Death of Agent Brian Terry
Chaffetz points to the Fast & Furious operation as a prime example of media abandonment. The Obama‑era Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives deliberately allowed illegal firearms to reach criminals in hopes of building larger cases. When Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in Arizona on Dec. 14, 2010, two of those guns were recovered at the scene. While most outlets labeled the incident a botched sting and moved on, Fox kept Agent Terry’s name on the air and pressed for answers about who authorized the program.
Secret Service Crisis
By 2015, Chaffetz, then chairman of the Oversight Committee, was investigating the Secret Service after a series of alarming incidents: a fence‑jumper with a knife entered the White House, a prostitution scandal unfolded in Cartagena, and senior agents were caught crashing a crime scene after a night of drinking. The agency’s response, according to Chaffetz, was not to fix its protection mission but to dig up his old job application and circulate “embarrassing” personal information to 45 employees. He describes this as a federal agency using private data to punish a congressional committee.
IRS Email Controversy
Chaffetz also highlights the IRS’s handling of conservative‑group targeting under Lois Lerner. When Congress requested the emails, the agency claimed the hard drives had crashed and the backup tapes “didn’t exist.” An inspector general later recovered the tapes within two weeks, contradicting the agency’s earlier statements. The White House dismissed the scandal as “phony,” and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Lerner for contempt. Fox, however, continued to broadcast the story, emphasizing the missing emails and the agency’s ideological targeting.
Why Fox News Matters
For Chaffetz, the pattern is clear: other newsrooms moved on, but Fox stayed the course, giving viewers the full picture. He credits the network’s willingness to keep hearings and investigations on the air as a key factor that forced the Office of the Inspector General to document the misconduct in writing.
Personal Reflections
Chaffetz also shares personal anecdotes about his time at Fox, recalling conversations with the late Charles Krauthammer and describing Krauthammer as his “favorite person on the Oversight Committee.” He notes that, despite occasional disagreements, the network’s commitment to investigative reporting remained steadfast.
As the Trump administration continues to champion transparency and accountability, Chaffetz argues that the media’s role—especially that of Fox News—remains essential in ensuring federal agencies cannot hide behind secrecy.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
