After video emerged of GOP nominee Donald Trump saying he likes to grab women "by the pussy" without their permission, Representative Jason Chaffetz and a significant portion of the Utah Republican delegation withdrew their support from Trump.
Chaffetz said he couldn't look his daughter in the eye and support Trump but, as you know, Chaffetz recently said he would be voting for Trump after all.
Chaffetz was asked to explain why he would change his mind given that after the video of Trump was released, a dozen women came forward to confirm that Trump grabbed them without permission just as he said.
His ludicrous answer is that Hillary Clinton is worse than sexual assault.
“After that initial Access Hollywood video came out, more than a dozen women have publicly come out and accused Donald Trump of doing exactly the kind of behavior that he described in the video tape,” Blitzer said. “What has changed between then and now when you said you couldn’t look your wife and your daughter in the eye and support Donald Trump?"
Chaffetz responded by casting doubt on the validity of Trump’s accusers before insisting “you have to put it in the context of Hillary Clinton.”
“It’s the true definition of a dilemma,” he added.
Chaffetz went on to say that he will never support or condone Trump's words and actions regarding women, except that's exactly what he's done. He voted for Trump. He supports Trump. He owns it.
When you get right down to it, Chaffetz is saying electing Hillary Clinton would be worse than electing Donald Trump even if he really is a serial sexual predator.
Why is that? Is it because Clinton will not kick 20 million people off their healthcare? Is it because she might call for raising taxes on the rich by a single percentage point? Is it because she'll honor our commitments to NATO? Is it because she won't play footsie with Vladimir Putin? Is it because she won't place Muslims and immigrants in internment camps? Is it because she won't support or codify anti-LGBTQ discrimination?
Chaffetz and his other Republican colleagues who've all crawled back to Donald Trump's side after initially backing away from him are basically saying that even moderate Democratic policy proposals are worse than sexual violence against women.
Chaffetz could be leading Republican investigations of the Clinton administration next year and he evidently believes responsible governance is worse than sexual violence.