Fox News’ Neil Cavuto grilled Rep. Jason Chaffetz Wednesday after he booted fellow Republican Rep. Mark Meadows from his subcommittee chairmanship after Meadows’ votee against trade and GOP leadership’s wishes.
In an appearance on “Your World” with Cavuto, Chaffetz told the host that Meadows’ vote was “a factor” in his decision to remove Meadows from the post. However, the host pushed back, telling the House Oversight and Government Reform chairman that the move seemed “very Tony Soprano-ish” in nature.
“It was a factor, but there were a variety of factors in my making that decision and making the change there,” Chaffetz said of the trade vote’s impact. “Mr. Meadows is a good person. He can vote how he wants to vote, but if you’re going to be in a leadership position, I expect a lot of things. I don’t expect you to vote every way I want you to. Left to itself, I did not push him out the door or away from the subcommittee chairmanship based solely on that vote, but there were a variety of factors. [A]s the chairman of that committee those are difficult decisions I need to make.”
“You’re a good guy congressman, but it sounds very Tony Soprano-ish to me,” Cavuto told Chaffetz.
“We, you know, nobody is going to get to see what I see, and sometimes the coach on the field needs to make a change. He’s still a valuable part of our team,” Chaffetz said echoing comments from earlier int he week. “He made some very good comments in questioning today, and expect him to continue to do that in the future.”
Cavuto continued to press Chaffetz over the matter, telling him that many of the newer tea party-backed representatives think House leadership is treating them “like crap” when situations like this arise.
“Wait a minute, congressman. You can understand a lot of these largely Tea Party congressmen feel like well they must…think they’re bulletproof now so they’re treating us like crap and we put them in power and this is a fine thank you for that,” Cavuto said. “He was ticked off…It appears to me a limited teapot, but do you think you and the speaker overreacted?”
“No. First of all, I never communicated with the Speaker beforehand,” Chaffetz said. “I’ve still never directly spoken with him about it.”
Cavuto’s comments come days after conservative radio host Laura Ingraham told Rep. Jim Jordan that the moves by Chaffetz and GOP leadership over Meadows were akin to that of the “mafia.” (RELATED: Ingraham: GOP Leadership Akin To ‘Mafia’ After Stripping Rep Of Committee Post Over Trade Vote)
Chaffetz added to the FNC host that he’s “not out to get” Meadows or anyone else, adding that he considers himself to be a tea partier personally.
WATCH (Starts at 3:17):