House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is risking his re-election prospects by talking about investigating a Hillary Clinton administration for alleged misconduct that occurred before she assumed office, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday.

Chaffetz has vowed to continue investigating Clinton's use of private email and other alleged misdeeds when she was secretary of state if she wins Nov. 8.

"He of the Gmail account business cards" promising to look into actions "that actually don't have anything to do with the Clinton White House," is "the same strategy that Darrell Issa tried to pursue" when he headed the panel, Earnest said. Earnest has said a few times that Chaffetz himself has a business card with a personal, non-government email address on it, and said that undercuts Chaffetz's pursuit of information about Clinton's private email.

"And it did not benefit Mr. Issa's personal political prospects," Earnest continued. "He now has been faced with a scenario where he went from calling the president one of the most corrupt presidents in history to now featuring President Obama prominently on a mailer in support of his campaign," Earnest claimed.

"So he looks pretty ridiculous. And Mr. Chaffetz looks pretty well down the same path," Earnest said.

Issa is locked in a tight race largely for supporting Republican nominee Donald Trump.