Oversight chairman seeking copy of Trump hotel lease

PHILADELPHIA — House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said Wednesday he’s requested the federal government’s contract with Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel as questions swirl about whether the new president is violating the lease agreement.

The new luxury Trump International Hotel, just blocks from the White House, occupies the historic Old Post Office building, which is owned by the federal government. Trump’s contract with the General Services Administration prohibits elected officials from being a party to the lease or benefitting from it.

“I did request from the GSA the full, unredacted contract,” Chaffetz told reporters at the joint House and Senate GOP retreat. “I requested that the first part of December. I still don’t have it. It will be interesting to see what they produce and what their take on that is. But I don’t have that yet.”

Democrats have called on the GSA to clarify whether Trump has violated the terms of his lease agreement, but so far agency officials have not publicly weighed in.

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Chaffetz’s request is significant given his reluctance to investigate Trump and his new Republican administration. Instead, he has continued to badger Trump’s vanquished rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, repeating several times since Election Day that he’ll continue to investigate the former secretary of State’s private email server.

Chaffetz shook Clinton’s hand on Inauguration Day Friday but then posted the photo on social media with the caption: “So pleased she is not the President. The investigation continues.”

During a gaggle with reporters Wednesday, Chaffetz also said his committee has no plans to investigate Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of rampant voter fraud during the 2016 election.

“I don’t see any evidence, but the president has 100,000 people at the Department of Justice, so if he wants to do an investigation, have at it,” Chaffetz said. “I just don’t see any evidence of it. …

“I’m not planning on spending resources looking at that. … It’s not something we’re pursuing.”