Republican Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz is reportedly eyeing a move to Fox News, according to several senior House Republicans who spoke to Washingtonian.
“Let’s just say that when Jason told us he was headed to Fox, no one was surprised,” one source told the publication.
Another aide close to Chaffetz said he was “gunning for it” and that “Fox was his first choice once he announced his plans” not to seek reelection.
Chaffetz, who announced in April he would not seek reelection in 2018, said on Facebook he made a “personal decision to return to the private sector.” The announcement came the same day as Fox revealed it would sever ties with Bill O’Reilly in the wake of the personality’s sexual harassment scandal.
Though the announcement mentioned he “may run again for public office” in the future, Chaffetz’s campaign website, jasoninthehouse.com (which briefly redirected to jasonforgovernor.com in preparation for an assumed governor bid in 2020), has been shut down.
Though it is unclear what role Chaffetz would play at Fox, or if a deal has been finalized, he is speculated to take on “a substantial role” on air that could start as early as July.
Chaffetz was a frequent guest on Fox before and after the 2016 election.
“He’s probably one of the most media-capable members in the House just based on total time spent on television camera,” added another senior House Republican aide.
Davis Richardson is a writer whose work has appeared in VICE, Nylon Magazine, The Daily Caller, and WIRED. Follow him on Twitter