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Washington • The federal ethics official whom Rep. Jason Chaffetz lambasted last week for refusing to meet with him pointed to newly disclosed emails Thursday to say the congressman was the one to sidestep a December meeting.

Walter Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), had tentative plans to talk with Chaffetz in person Dec. 8, according to emails released by the agency. But the Utah Republican, who is chairman of the House Oversight Committee and had initially requested the chat, didn't show — and neither did Shaub — because the time was never confirmed. The emails originally suggest a 2:30 p.m. meeting, though the time was not firmly established. By 1 p.m. it was clear to both offices that no meeting would take place.

A member of Chaffetz's staff sent a message the next day lamenting that the congressman's schedule was "backed up with a hard stop for a return flight home."

"The chairman requested that I pass on the message that he is disturbed and disappointed that we weren't able to make this happen," one note reads. "We'll have to come back to this in January to see if we can make something work."

But Shaub's office seems to have thought the plans were more concrete. An OGE staffer responded by noting the meeting was "never declined by us and never taken off of the table by her" despite questions about holding it over the phone.

Chaffetz threatened an investigation — and possible subpoena — of Shaub for criticizing President-elect Donald Trump's plans to handle his business holdings while in office.

"He spouts off before he even looks at the information," Chaffetz told The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday. "That seems to be a political pundit's voice, not the head of the Office of Government Ethics."

In a Jan. 12 letter to Shaub, the congressman cited instances of the ethics agency "blurring the line between public relations and official ethics guidance," according to a copy published by The New York Times. He included in the message a series of tweets posted Nov. 30 from the official OGE account that appeared sarcastic; they celebrated Trump's divestiture when there was no such action.

Trump will instead hand over his company assets to his two sons and limit new foreign investments — a plan that falls short of what Shaub and other ethics officials had called for.

Chaffetz planned to discuss the tweets in a sit-down with Shaub. He said Thursday that his office listed times to meet with the ethics official and couldn't find a slot that worked for both.

"It shouldn't be that difficult for us to meet with him," Chaffetz said. "We just need to sit and talk for an hour and understand each other."

The emails suggest that the Dec. 8 meeting was never confirmed by Chaffetz's office.

"The director's scheduler just indicated that we are uncertain based on his exchange with the chairman's scheduler about whether we are on for a 2:30 meeting or not," one message reads.

And it's possible the emails don't encapsulate all communications; any phone transcripts concerning the meeting were not included in the disclosed documents. Still, an ethics office staffer waited for the supposed meeting and said in an email that calls to Chaffetz's office that day were not returned. Shaub later referenced the scheduled date in an email on Jan. 14, calling it a "bizarre claim" that he would decline to meet with the congressman.

"Let me know if they repeat that incorrect claim to the press again," Shaub writes, noting that "we have emails corroborating the fact that the chairman is the one who canceled the meeting."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat and ranking member of the oversight committee, said in a prepared statement that Chaffetz owes Shaub "an apology for these inaccurate public attacks against him."

While Chaffetz has vowed to continue with the investigation of Shaub, he has rebuffed calls to investigate Trump, calling it a "fishing expedition" pushed for by Democrats.

"I'm not saying I'm going to, but I'm not saying I'm not going to," he told The Tribune on Thursday, adding that he "never investigated Barack Obama, ever."

He had, however, spent much time and energy investigating emails of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state.

Chaffetz also said Trump is "exempt" as president from most ethics laws and has complied with the necessary financial disclosures. If an issue were to arise with how the president is using taxpayer money, Chaffetz said he would look into it.

"Somebody will do something stupid somewhere," he said.

Utahns overwhelmingly want Chaffetz to investigate Trump's potential conflicts of interest. A poll conducted Jan. 9 through Monday for The Salt Lake Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics found 65 percent of registered voters surveyed in the state support such a probe, compared to just 31 percent opposed. The margin of error was 3.98 percent.

The Republican also denounced "all the drama" surrounding his call for an investigation of Shaub and said he never intended to issue a subpoena if Shaub willingly complied with an interview request.

A meeting is scheduled for Monday, but it will remain behind closed doors despite Shaub's calls for it to be public.