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Does Russia have blackmail material on Utah conservative Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who this week announced he’s not seeking re-election?

Is the House Oversight Committee chairman stepping down as a result of a possible secret love affair?

That’s the buzz on Twitter, and the Wall Street Journal now confirms Chaffetz said Thursday he’s considering leaving office before his current term in office ends.

Chaffetz gained a measure of fame as chair of the committee that probed then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

Los Angeles-based fact-checker Bethania Palma Markus – working the Chaffetz story for Snopes — says the Russian connection claims are “unproven.”

“On 19 April 2017, PalmerReport.com posted a story reporting the claim that the Federal Bureau of Investigations has information that the Kremlin has ‘kompromat,’ or compromising information, that could be used for blackmail, on Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz,” Markus writes.

She concluded: “We found no proof that the Russians have compromising information on Chaffetz, as the claim is entirely based on hearsay without any supporting evidence offered. Congress is currently on recess and we have not yet heard back from Chaffetz’ spokesperson.”

Markus is described by Snopes as a UC Irivine and Cal State Northridge graduate who has written for the Los Angeles News Group, the LAist, LA School Report, the OC Weekly and Raw Story.

“She is a huge fan of the X-Files, because while she’s not saying it was aliens, it was aliens,” her bio says.

Secret sex by GOP congressman? Russian blackmail rumored as Utah conservative says he’ll leave office was last modified: by

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