Dear Rep. Jason Chaffetz,

As a nonpartisan organization of nearly 5,000 women, many of whom are your constituents, we are profoundly disturbed by apparent Russian involvement in our recent election. The unexpected firing of FBI Director James Comey is one more disruptive action weakening confidence in the current administration.

Rather than instilling “renewed confidence in the FBI,” this action, together with so many other unpredictable and unprecedented behaviors by our 45th president, threatens our democracy and capacity to trust that the current administration has our nation’s best interests in mind. We plead with you in your role as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee to be aggressive and zealous in choosing country over party. The behavior of many partisan legislators has challenged our confidence.

As your sisters in the faith who share with you a commitment to ethics, honor and justice, we urge you to do your job as chairman. Ties to Russia and potential conflicts of interest in the current administration need your assertive attention.

We understand that you are recuperating and we hope you will heal well and thoroughly. We have the same hopes for our shaken country. Presumably, if you are well enough to defy doctor’s orders to return to Washington to vote for the grievously flawed AHCA, you are well enough to fiercely investigate these issues of grave concern to our nation.

Back in September 2016, fueled by frustration with what you felt was an uncooperative Congress, you voiced your commitment to the authority of the Oversight Committee.

You said:

"I believe passionately in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee . . . . Every expenditure, everything we do in this nation is supposed to be overseen by us. We can investigate anything at any time. That’s what’s different about the United States of America. We’re different because we ARE self-critical. We DO go look under the hood. We DO hold people accountable."

We support those words and urge you to be as determined and ferocious in your commitment to them now as you were last fall. If you are not able to serve in this capacity on the Oversight Committee, please insist immediately on the appointment of a special prosecutor and/or a special congressional committee to focus specifically on Russian ties to the current administration and any related obstruction of justice.

Earnest bipartisan scrutiny of the issues of Russian ties and this administration’s panoply of conflicting interests is as vital to the health of our country as surgery was for your foot, Rep. Chaffetz. Earlier this year when asked about the Russian investigations and Michael Flynn’s involvement, you replied, “It’s taking care of itself.” That would have been an inadequate answer about the care of your damaged foot. It is just as inadequate an answer about investigations into the grave concerns facing our country today.

We call upon you to do your job to investigate these issues thoroughly as chairman of the bipartisan Oversight Committee in the time you have remaining in your legislative service. If, for whatever reason, you cannot, we ask that you call for the appointment of a special prosecutor to oversee this investigation.

Sincerely,

The founders of Mormon Women for Ethical Government

Linda Kimball

Sharlee Mullins Glenn

Melissa Dalton-Bradford

Jacque White

Erica Glenn

Michelle Lehnardt