Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) is retiring soon. He's enjoyed a full career in which he sponsored over a dozen bills, asked tough questions of government officials, and cultivated some meaningful friendships with his colleagues, such as fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott, with whom he just wrote a book.
He has some regrets, however. In a recent interview, he shared his disappointment that during the last administration some of his colleagues seemed more interested in booting Obama from office than implementing policy.
“I was thinking last night when President Obama was elected, several Republicans said their objective was to make him a one term president, not do good for the country…and there were lots of people who were laying in bed dreaming of running in 2020 to make President Trump a one term president. So, the notion that folks work together for the betterment of the country I think right now with this moment in American politics, we mainly work towards either keeping the majority or becoming the majority.” (Mediaite)
Gowdy himself was accused of partisan politics during the House Select Committee on Benghazi investigation. As chairman, Gowdy was tasked with rounding up witnesses, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. When she was in the hot seat in a public hearing, Gowdy grilled her on her conduct during the Benghazi raid. When critics suggested he was using the interrogation and investigation to end Clinton's career, he defended his true aim.
"This work is about something much more important than any single person," he said. "It is about four U.S. government workers, including our Ambassador, murdered by terrorists on foreign soil. It is about what happened before, during, and after the attacks that killed these four men.”
In his retirement announcement, Gowdy said it had been a privilege to serve, yet this former federal prosecutor will be returning to the justice system.
His new book with Sen. Scott, Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Country, was published on Tuesday.