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Rep. Trey Gowdy not seeking re-election
(CNN)House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy said Wednesday he is not running for re-election and plans to leave politics.
Gowdy,
a former federal prosecutor, issued a statement saying he planned to
retire from Congress at the end of this term and would return to working
in the justice system.
"Whatever
skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress,
and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system," the
South Carolina Republican said. "As I look back on my career, it is the
jobs that both seek and reward fairness that are most rewarding."
Gowdy's
announcement makes him the latest Republican committee chairman to
announce retirement ahead of midterm elections that are seeing a spike
in Republicans headed for the exit. Unlike many other members, however,
Gowdy was not facing a difficult re-election campaign in 2018.
Gowdy,
who was first elected in 2010 after ousting former Rep. Bob Inglis,
became chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
last year after Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz left Congress.
The
South Carolina Republican earned conservative plaudits and national
recognition as a chief investigator in the House, most famously helming
the House probe into the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi,
Libya, that killed four Americans. Democrats lambasted the
investigation, accusing Republicans of using it to attack former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Republicans likely to hold district
Gowdy's
retirement is unlikely to have an effect on the balance of power in the
GOP-controlled House. President Donald Trump and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt
Romney won the 4th Congressional District by more than 20 points in
their respective elections, and it is almost certain to remain in GOP
hands.
In a statement released
shortly after Gowdy's announcement, the National Republican
Congressional Committee praised the congressman and expressed confidence
the GOP would retain control of the district.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley -- a former Republican governor of South Carolina -- likewise praised Gowdy in a tweet.
"I
always said the reason @TGowdySC was amazing at his job was bc he
disliked politics so much. Trey, thank you for your impatience,
sacrifice, and fight to make our country a more just place. SC and our
country thank you for your service. I thank you for your friendship,"
Haley said.
In a series of tweets
praising Gowdy, South Carolina's GOP Sen. Tim Scott anticipated another
chapter in his colleague's career and nodded to Gowdy's widely noted and
varying hairstyles.
Center of the fray
Gowdy's congressional tenure has been marked by central roles in high-profile investigations.
The Gowdy-led House Benghazi investigation drew near constant headlines and included a focus on Clinton's email practices as secretary of state.
In the fall of 2015, Clinton appeared before the committee for a daylong hearing, and as he released a report on the probe's findings, Gowdy defended the investigation and faulted the Obama administration for lapses that led to the deaths in Benghazi.
Gowdy's name surfaced as a potential choice last May in the wake of Trump's decision to fire James Comey as FBI director. Gowdy took himself
out of the running, and said in a statement at the time that he had
told Attorney General Jeff Sessions he would not be the right choice to
take over the bureau.
More
recently, Gowdy has both criticized the FBI's conduct during the 2016
election and defended former FBI Director Robert Mueller's stewardship
of the special counsel investigation into potential coordination between
Trump's associates and Russia to influence the 2016 US election.
As
some Trump allies have ratcheted up criticism of the special counsel,
Gowdy has voiced his support for Mueller, saying last fall that he did
not think Mueller should step down. Last Sunday on Fox News, Gowdy
maintained his position, saying he had "100%" trust in Mueller.
At
the same time, Gowdy has been among the chief proponents of releasing a
controversial memo from House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, a
California Republican, alleging the FBI abused its surveillance powers.
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