Trey Gowdy
{{short description|American news anchor and politician (born 1964)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Trey Gowdy
| image = Trey Gowdy official congressional photo.jpg
| office = Chair of the House Oversight Committee
| term_start = June 13, 2017
| term_end = January 3, 2019
| predecessor = Jason Chaffetz
| successor = Elijah Cummings
| office1 = Chair of the House Benghazi Committee
| term_start1 = May 8, 2014
| term_end1 = July 8, 2016
| predecessor1 = Position established
| successor1 = Position abolished
| state2 = South Carolina
| district2 = {{ushr|SC|4|4th}}
| term_start2 = January 3, 2011
| term_end2 = January 3, 2019
| predecessor2 = Bob Inglis
| successor2 = William Timmons
| birth_name = Harold Watson Gowdy III
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|8|22}}
| birth_place = Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Republican
| spouse = {{marriage|Terri Dillard|1989}}
| children = 2
| education = Baylor University (BA)
University of South Carolina (JD)
| website = {{URL|https://www.treygowdy.com/}}
| module = {{listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Trey Gowdy Opens a House Oversight Committee Hearing on Election Cybersecurity.ogg|title=Trey Gowdy's voice|type=speech|description=Gowdy opens a House Oversight Committee hearing on election cybersecurity
Recorded July 24, 2018}}
| signature = Trey Gowdy Signature.png
}}
Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III (born August 22, 1964) is an American television news presenter, former politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. representative for {{ushr|SC|4}} from 2011 to 2019. His district included much of the Upstate region of South Carolina, including Greenville and Spartanburg.
Before his congressional career, Gowdy served as a federal prosecutor in the District of South Carolina from 1994 to 2000 and then as the solicitor (district attorney) for South Carolina's Seventh Judicial Circuit, comprising Spartanburg and Cherokee counties from 2000 to 2010. From 2014 to 2016, Gowdy chaired the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi which was partly responsible for discovering the existence of Hillary Clinton's private email server.{{cite web |last=Dumain |first=Emma |date=January 31, 2018 |title=Gowdy, key player in Clinton, Trump campaign probes, won't seek another term. |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article197602894.html |publisher=McClatchy DC website |access-date=January 31, 2018}} His investigative committee spent over two-and-a-half years and $7.8 million investigating the events surrounding the 2012 Benghazi attack, ultimately not finding evidence of specific wrongdoing by then–Secretary of State Clinton.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-endless-trial-of-trey-gowdys-benghazi-committee-20160114|title=The Endless Trial of Trey Gowdy's Benghazi Committee|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2017-05-12}}{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-team-used-special-program-to-scrub-server-gowdy-says|title=Clinton team used special program to scrub server, Gowdy says|date=2016-08-26|publisher=Fox News|access-date=2017-05-13|language=en-US}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/06/28/house-benghazi-report-reveals-little-new-information-about-hillary-clinton/|title=Trey Gowdy defends two-year Benghazi probe that was riddled with partisan conflict|last=Demirjian|first=Karoun|date=2016-06-28|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2018-06-28|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}} Gowdy pressed for the prosecution of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.{{cite news|url=http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/election/Candidate-match/article113190118.html|title=Gowdy: Clinton should be prosecuted|work=thestate|access-date=2017-05-13}} Beginning in June 2017 he chaired the House Oversight Committee.
On January 31, 2018, Gowdy announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018 and that he intended to pursue a legal career instead of politics.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/RepTreyGowdy/|title=Trey Gowdy|website=www.facebook.com |access-date=2018-01-31}} He has since rejoined the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough,Connor, Eric. [https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2019/01/03/trey-gowdy-nelson-mullins-law-politics/2466685002/ Trey Gowdy swears off politics as he joins power firm Nelson Mullins in Greenville], Greenville News, January 3, 2019. and also joined Fox News as a contributor.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/427673-trey-gowdy-joins-fox-news-as-a-contributor/|title=Trey Gowdy joins Fox News as a contributor|date=January 30, 2019}} In early 2021, he served as an interim host of Fox News Primetime,{{cite web|url=https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/29/trey-gowdy-host-fox-news-primetime-show-week-feb-1/4312289001/|title=Former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy to host new Fox News Primetime show week of Feb. 1}} and then was named host of Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy later that same year. In May 2023, Gowdy served as a guest host of Fox News Tonight following the firing of Tucker Carlson.{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Julia |date=2023-05-19 |title=Trey Gowdy will host Tucker Carlson's former 8 pm slot on Fox News this week |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trey-gowdy-tucker-carlson-8-pm-fox-news-this-week |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Washington Examiner}}
Early life and education
Gowdy was born on August 22, 1964, in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the son of Novalene (Evans) and Harold Watson "Hal" Gowdy Jr., MD.{{cite web|url=http://www.spartanburgcounty.org/govt/depts/sol/tgbio.htm |title=Circuit Solicitor: Trey Gowdy Bio |publisher=Spartanburgcounty.org |access-date=May 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314184748/http://www.spartanburgcounty.org/govt/depts/sol/tgbio.htm |archive-date=March 14, 2012}}{{cite web |title=Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/reps/gowdy.htm |publisher=Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com |access-date=May 9, 2012}} He grew up in Spartanburg,{{cite book |last1=McCutcheon |first1=Michael |last2=Barone |first2=Chuck |title=2014 Almanac of American Politics |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2013}} where as a young man he delivered newspapers for the local daily and worked at the community market.{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19950828&id=eUkeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3974,2611105&hl=en|title=Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}} Gowdy graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1982 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Baylor University in 1986. While at Baylor he was a member of Kappa Omega Tau. He graduated Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989.
Legal career
Gowdy worked as judicial law clerk for John P. Gardner on the South Carolina Court of Appeals as well as for federal judge G. Ross Anderson of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He then went into private practice at Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough in Greenville, South Carolina, before being appointed as an assistant United States Attorney in April 1994. Gowdy received the Postal Inspector's Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen, one of "America's Most Wanted" suspects.
In February 2000, he left the United States Attorney's Office to run for 7th Circuit solicitor. He defeated incumbent Solicitor Holman Gossett,{{cite news |last=Spencer |first=Janet S. |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_AcoAAAAIBAJ&pg=3122,6036649&dq=trey+gowdy&hl=en |title=Gowdy spins web campaign |work=Herald-Journal |date=April 29, 2000 |access-date=May 9, 2012}} in the Republican primary, and then ran unopposed in the general election. Gowdy was re-elected in 2004 and 2008, both times unopposed. During his tenure he appeared in four{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5214654/|title=Trey Gowdy|website=IMDb|access-date=January 31, 2018}} episodes of the television program Forensic Files, as well as Dateline NBC and SCETV.{{cite web|url=http://www.treygowdy.com/meet-trey/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705132155/http://www.treygowdy.com/meet-trey/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 5, 2009 |title=Meet Trey |publisher=Trey Gowdy |access-date=May 9, 2012}} He prosecuted the set of criminal cases and seven of them were death penalty cases.
U.S. House of Representatives
= Elections =
==2010==
{{main|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 4}}
In the summer of 2009, Gowdy announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis in the Republican primary for {{ushr|South Carolina|4}}.
Despite getting a 93% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union,ACU Ratings of Congress: 111th Congress, Second Session (40th Edition). American Conservative Union, 2010. p. 32. [http://acuratings.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/05/2010guide.pdf PDF available online]; retrieved January 14, 2017. Inglis had angered the conservative wing of the Republican Party by taking stances that were perceived to be more moderate than those he had taken when he first represented the district from 1993 to 1999; besides opposing elements in his own party on issues including climate change, he attracted attention as a member of the Judiciary Committee for providing the deciding vote that prevented a measure designed to protect the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance from coming to the House floor. Gowdy was one of several candidates in the 2010 primary who ran well to Inglis' right.{{cite web |first=Josh |last=Kraushaar |title=Inglis faces fight from the right |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20974.html|work=Politico.com|date=April 7, 2009|access-date=April 14, 2009}} Inglis had drawn five Republican challengers, including Gowdy. In the June 2010 primary, Gowdy ranked first with 39% of the vote, short of the 50% majority threshold to win outright and avoid a run-off. Inglis received 27% of the vote. Jim Lee got 14%, State Senator David L. Thomas got 13%, and former Historian of the United States House of Representatives Christina Jeffrey was last with 7% of the vote.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=487675 |title=SC District 4 – R Primary Race |publisher=Our Campaigns |date=June 8, 2010 |access-date=May 9, 2012}}McArdle, John. [http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003678728 Inglis Forced Into Runoff.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609071506/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003678728 |date=2010-06-09}} Congressional Quarterly. June 8, 2010.
In the run-off election, Gowdy defeated Inglis 70–30%.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=657938 |title=SC District 4 – R Runoff Race |publisher=Our Campaigns |date=June 22, 2010 |access-date=May 9, 2012}} The 4th district was considered so heavily Republican that it was widely presumed Gowdy had clinched a seat in Congress with his primary victory.McArdle, John. [http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003688244 Gowdy Crushes Inglis in S.C. Runoff] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628043350/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003688244 |date=June 28, 2010}}, CQ Politics, June 22, 2010. Gowdy defeated Democratic nominee Paul Corden 63–29%.{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=511275 |title=SC District 4 Race |publisher=Our Campaigns |date=November 2, 2010 |access-date=May 9, 2012}}
==2012==
{{main|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 4}}
Gowdy ran for re-election to a second term against Democrat Deb Morrow.{{cite web|url=http://taylors.patch.com/articles/deb-morrow-seeks-democratic-nod-for-congress|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131010957/http://taylors.patch.com/articles/deb-morrow-seeks-democratic-nod-for-congress|url-status=dead|title=Deb Morrow Seeks Democratic Nod for Congress – Taylors-Wade Hampton|date=January 31, 2013|archive-date=January 31, 2013}} During redistricting following the 2010 census, one proposed map saw large portions of Spartanburg County, Gowdy's home county, cut out of the district, while leaving all of Greenville County within the district. Gowdy was initially quoted as being "disappointed" with the version, even though the redrawn 4th would have been as solidly Republican as its predecessor. The final map moved a portion of Greenville County to the 3rd district while leaving almost all of Spartanburg County in the 4th district (except for a sliver that was moved to the 5th district). Gowdy was quoted as being "pleased" with this version, since Greenville and Spartanburg counties remained linked. Roll Call rated his district as "Safe Republican" in 2012.{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Joshua |url=http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_18/Race-Ratings-GOP-Strengthens-Grip-on-South-Carolina-207940-1.html |title=Race Ratings: GOP Strengthens Grip on South Carolina |publisher=Roll Call |date=August 2, 2011 |access-date=May 9, 2012}} Gowdy easily secured a second term, defeating Morrow 65–34%.{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/House/2012/SC |title=2014 Election Results Senate: Live Map by State, Midterm Midterm Races Races |publisher=Politico |access-date=August 8, 2014}}
==2014==
{{main|2014 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 4}}
Gowdy ran for re-election again in 2014. His only opponent was Libertarian Curtis E. McLaughlin.{{cite news|url=http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/26/3331775/election-2014-whos-filed-for-the.html|title=Election 2014 (updated): Who's filed for statewide, State House, Congressional offices|work=The State|last=Shain|first=Andrew|date=March 26, 2014|access-date=October 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327095547/http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/26/3331775/election-2014-whos-filed-for-the.html|archive-date=March 27, 2014|url-status=dead}} He was reelected with 85% of the popular vote.
==2016==
In the November 2016 election, Gowdy faced Democrat Chris Fedalei, a 26-year-old attorney. He defeated Fedalei with 67% of the vote to retain his seat.{{cite web |last=Lavender |first=Chris |url=http://www.goupstate.com/article/20160304/ARTICLES/160309856 |title=Spartanburg native Chris Fedalei to challenge Gowdy |date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=July 24, 2016 |archive-date=August 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814235942/http://www.goupstate.com/article/20160304/ARTICLES/160309856 |url-status=dead}}
=Tenure=
According to Politico during his tenure in Congress, Gowdy was "considered one of the GOP's most versatile and skilled legal experts, owing to his background as a federal prosecutor".{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/02/gowdy-trump-spygate-theory-617948|title=Trump allies gang up on Gowdy|work=POLITICO|access-date=2018-06-02}} While chairing the House Oversight Committee Gowdy tackled high-profile investigations. Democrats criticized Gowdy for conducting his investigations in a partisan fashion. After Trump became president, Gowdy defended the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to the dismay of Trump supporters. However, in a June 2018 hearing, Gowdy urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to wrap up the special counsel investigation.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/28/rod-rosenstein-and-fbi-director-wray-to-testify-on-watchdogs-report.html|title=Rod Rosenstein rejects call to 'finish' Russia investigation, saying it should end 'appropriately'|last=Breuninger|first=Kevin|date=2018-06-28|publisher=CNBC|access-date=2018-06-28}} Rosenstein rejected the suggestion, saying the special counsel investigation should finish "appropriately". Democrats criticized Gowdy for not fully pursuing investigations into potential conflicts of interest in the Trump White House or investigating the White House security clearance process.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trey-gowdy-a-prosecutor-and-partisan-at-the-heart-of-the-gops-russia-probe/2018/05/31/9924cf32-6500-11e8-99d2-0d678ec08c2f_story.html|title=Trey Gowdy: A prosecutor and partisan at the heart of the GOP's Russia probe|last=Demirjian|first=Karoun|date=2018-05-31|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2018-06-02|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}
In August 2011, during the 2011 United States debt ceiling crisis, Gowdy opposed Speaker John Boehner's debt limit bill, and he voted against the final debt ceiling agreement.{{cite news|last=Sherman|first=Jake|title=Right wants more from John Boehner|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76258.html|access-date=June 2, 2012|newspaper=Politico|date=May 13, 2012}} He also opposed the 2011 defense authorization bill, citing concerns about the prospect of Americans being detained without trial on national security grounds.{{cite web |last=Brady |first=Jessica |url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/detainee_provisions_still_cause_concern-211283-1.html |title=Detainee Provisions Still Cause for Concern |publisher=Roll Call |date=December 29, 2011 |access-date=May 9, 2012}} In December 2010, he told Congressional Quarterly that he would support a measure only if its sponsor could demonstrate that the Constitution gave the government the power to act in a particular realm.[http://innovation.cq.com/newmember/2010elexnguide.pdf Congressional Quarterly Guide to the New Congress], 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708200600/http://innovation.cq.com/newmember/2010elexnguide.pdf |date=July 8, 2011}}
Gowdy worked on the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Gowdy frequently spoke on the floor of the House on issues ranging from Operation Fast and Furious to his support for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
In 2012, he received the Defender of Economic Freedom award from the fiscally conservative 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth. The award is given to members of Congress who have the year's highest ranking, according to the Club for Growth's metrics. Gowdy scored 97 out of 100, and was one of 34 congressmen given the award.{{cite web|last=Drury |first=Shawn |url=http://mauldin.patch.com/articles/rep-trey-gowdy-awarded-by-club-for-growth |title=Rep. Trey Gowdy Awarded by Club for Growth |publisher=Mauldin Patch |date=March 1, 2012 |access-date=May 9, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://patch.com/south-carolina/mauldin/rep-trey-gowdy-awarded-by-club-for-growth|title=Rep. Trey Gowdy Awarded by Club for Growth|date=2012-03-01|website=Mauldin, SC Patch|language=en|access-date=2020-01-03}}
An ardent social conservative, Gowdy considers himself "pro-life plus". He not only believes "in the sanctity of life", but argued that "the strategy should be broader than waiting for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade."{{cite web|title=Issues|url=http://www.treygowdy.com/issues/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522030420/http://www.treygowdy.com/issues/|archive-date=May 22, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2017|publisher=Gowdy For Congress}}
Gowdy signed the Contract from America, which aims to defund, repeal, and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, limit United States Environmental Protection Agency regulations, enact a reform of the federal tax code, pass a balanced budget amendment, and end earmarks.{{cite web|title=Contract From America|url=http://www.thecontract.org/support/|publisher=Contract From America|access-date=May 29, 2012}}{{cite web |title=Project Vote Smart |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/121782/trey-gowdy/ |publisher=Project Vote Smart |access-date=May 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528210805/http://votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/121782/trey-gowdy/ |archive-date=May 28, 2012}}
In May 2018, Gowdy challenged President Trump's accusation saying that the FBI had spied on his 2016 presidential campaign. As a result Gowdy was attacked by various Trump allies; Politico reported that Gowdy was "virtually alone, getting little support from his House colleagues". In June 2018, Speaker Paul Ryan came out in support of Gowdy, saying that Gowdy's assessment was "accurate".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/us/politics/ryan-trump-spygate-spy.html|title=Speaker Ryan Dismisses Trump's Charges of a Spy in His Campaign|date=2018-06-06|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-06|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
At a July 2018 congressional hearing, Gowdy suggested there was impropriety on behalf of FBI agent Peter Strzok and said that Strzok had shown bias in favor of Hillary Clinton and against Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. He said that this had shaped Strzok's work for the FBI.{{cite news|url=https://www.apnews.com/5cd36c766cf14f548bdaf050d1393d98|title=FBI agent defiantly rejects bias charges at chaotic hearing|work=AP News|access-date=2018-07-12|language=en-US}} During the hearing Gowdy repeatedly pressed Strzok about a text message saying Strzok said "we'll stop Trump". Strzok said that a "We'll stop Trump" text message was written late at night and off-the-cuff shortly after controversial remarks were made by Trump towards the family of an American war veteran, and that the message reflected Strzok's belief that Americans would not vote for a candidate who engaged in such "horrible, disgusting behavior". Strzok said the message "was in no way—unequivocally—any suggestion that me, the FBI, would take any action whatsoever to improperly impact the electoral process for any candidate." He added that he knew of information during the 2016 presidential campaign that could have damaged Trump but that he never contemplated leaking it. Strzok said that the investigation into him and the Republicans' related rhetoric was misguided and played into "our enemies' campaign to tear America apart."
=Legislation=
On March 4, 2014, Gowdy introduced the ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014 into the House.{{cite web|title=H.R. 4138 – Summary|url=http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4138|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=March 12, 2014}} The bill would give the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate the ability to sue the President of the United States in a federal district court to clarify a federal law (that is, seek a declaratory judgment) in the event that the executive branch is not enforcing the law.{{cite web|title=H.R. 4138 – CBO|date=10 March 2014|url=http://cbo.gov/publication/45178/|publisher=Congressional Budget Office|access-date=March 12, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Kiefer|first=Francine|title=Can House Republicans make Obama enforce laws?|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2014/0312/Can-House-Republicans-make-Obama-enforce-laws-video|access-date=March 13, 2014|newspaper=Christian Science Monitor|date=March 12, 2014}} House Republicans argued that the bill was necessary because the Obama Administration refused to enforce the laws.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=House backs bill to sue president over laws|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/house-backs-bill-to-sue-president-over-laws/2014/03/12/f82d8978-aa2a-11e3-8a7b-c1c684e2671f_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216041634/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/house-backs-bill-to-sue-president-over-laws/2014/03/12/f82d8978-aa2a-11e3-8a7b-c1c684e2671f_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2018|access-date=March 13, 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 12, 2014}} H.R. 4138 passed the House but failed to become law.
=Committee assignments=
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Justice
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations (Chairman)
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits and Administrative Rules
- Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
{{Cite web|url=http://intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-majority-members.htm|title=HPSCI Majority Members {{!}} U.S. House of Representatives|website=intelligence.house.gov|access-date=2018-11-06}}
=Caucus memberships=
Presidential politics
In July 2015, Republican nominee Donald Trump named Gowdy as a possible nominee for United States Attorney General in a Trump cabinet.{{cite web|url=http://www.headlinepolitics.com/trump-just-announced-possible-cabinet-members-will-make-liberals-cringe/|title=Trump Just Announced Possible Cabinet Members That Will Make Liberals Cringe|last=Weiss|first=Rusty|date=2015-07-29|publisher=Headline Politics|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-27|df=mdy-all}} In late December 2015, Gowdy endorsed Senator Marco Rubio for president, praising him as a rarity among elected officials for having kept his campaign promises.{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/trey-gowdy-endorses-marco-rubio-217201|title=Trey Gowdy endorses Marco Rubio|date=December 29, 2015|first=Eliza|last=Collins|publisher=Politico}} Gowdy's endorsement strained his relations with Donald Trump's campaign; Trump said that Gowdy had "failed miserably on Benghazi".{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/28/scorned-trump-team-turns-on-man-they-once-loved.html|title=Scorned Trump Team Turns On Man They Once Loved|date=December 28, 2015|publisher=The Daily Beast}}{{cite news|url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/marco-rubio-scoring-some-big-endorsements-do-they-matter|title=Marco Rubio is scoring some big endorsements. But do they matter?|date=December 30, 2015|publisher=MSNBC}} Rubio withdrew from the race in March 2016, after losing his home state of Florida to Trump. Two months later, on May 20, Gowdy endorsed Trump for president, admitting that while he was a "Rubio guy" he would support the presumptive Republican nominee.{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/280753-gowdy-i-endorse-trump/|date=May 20, 2016|title=Gowdy endorses Trump|publisher=thehill.com}} After the May 2017 dismissal of FBI Director Comey, Gowdy was being considered for his replacement. However, the veteran representative told Attorney General Sessions that he wanted to remain in his congressional seat.Eliza Collins, 15 May 2017: [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/15/trey-gowdy-fbi-director-james-comey-firing/101713420/ Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former FBI contender, keeps making Republican short lists]
On December 1, 2017, the Congressional Office of Compliance said that while Gowdy was acting as chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, a former congressional aide of his reached a settlement with Congress and the House Employment Counsel. The aide had alleged he was fired in part because he was not willing to focus his investigative work on Hillary Clinton (a charge which was later dropped) and because he was absent from the position while fulfilling an Air Force Reserve assignment. His attorney stated: "I can confirm that my client is one person who brought a veterans status discrimination and retaliation suit against Congress and that the case settled on terms that were satisfactory to my client." The Washington Post reported that Gowdy was responsible for use of taxpayer funds to pay the claim against the government.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gowdy-benghazi-panel-settled-wrongful-firing-suit-with-150000-in-public-funds/2017/12/01/d7c49dac-d6db-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html|title=Gowdy, Benghazi panel settled wrongful firing suit with $150,000 in public funds|last1=Viebeck|first1=Elise|date=2017-12-01|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2017-12-02|last2=Lee|first2=Michelle Ye Hee|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}
Personal life
Gowdy is married to Terri (née Dillard).{{cite web|date=December 11, 2012|title=Biography|url=https://gowdy.house.gov/about/full-biography}} She is a former Miss Spartanburg and once a second runner-up for Miss South Carolina.{{cite web|title=Congressional Profile: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) |publisher=Heritage Action for America|url=http://heritageaction.com/2012/03/congressional-profile-rep-trey-gowdy-r-sc/|website=heritageaction.com}} The couple have two children, Watson and Abigail. As of January 2019, she is a first-grade teacher in the Spartanburg School District.
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change
| title = South Carolina's 4th congressional district primary, 2010[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=487675 SC District 4 - R Primary]. Our Campaigns.
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Trey Gowdy
|votes = 34,103
|percentage = 39.22
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Bob Inglis (incumbent)
|votes = 23,877
|percentage = 27.46
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Jim Lee
|votes = 11,854
|percentage = 13.63
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = David L. Thomas
|votes = 11,073
|percentage = 12.74
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Christina Fawcett Jeffrey
|votes = 6,041
|percentage = 6.95
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 86,948
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = South Carolina's 4th congressional district primary runoff, 2010[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=657938 SC District 4 - R Runoff]. Our Campaigns.
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Trey Gowdy
|votes = 51,541
|percentage = 70.18
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Bob Inglis (incumbent)
|votes = 21,898
|percentage = 29.82
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 73,439
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = South Carolina's 4th congressional district election, 2010{{cite web |url=http://www.scvotes.org/2010/09/08/election_results |title=Election Results : 2012 General Election : South Carolina State Election Commission |publisher=Scvotes.org |access-date=October 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020110542/http://www.scvotes.org/2010/09/08/election_results |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Trey Gowdy
|votes = 137,586
|percentage = 63.45
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Paul Corden
|votes = 62,438
|percentage = 28.79
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Constitution Party (United States)
|candidate = Dave Edwards
|votes = 11,059
|percentage = 5.10
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Rick Mahler
|votes = 3,010
|percentage = 1.39
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Green Party (United States)
|candidate = Faye Walters
|votes = 2,564
|percentage = 1.18
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
|party = Write-ins
|candidate =
|votes = 181
|percentage = 0.08
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 216,838
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
|winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
|title = South Carolina 4th congressional district election, 2012{{cite web | title=Election Statistics – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives | url=http://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/Election-Statistics/ | publisher=Karen Haas, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives | access-date=October 21, 2014}}The votes for the Democratic candidate includes votes cast for the candidate who also ran under the Working Families Party ticket}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Trey Gowdy (Incumbent)
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes =173,201
| percentage = 64.90}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Deb Morrow
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 89,964
| percentage = 33.71}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Jeff Sumerel
| party = Green Party (United States)
| votes = 3,390
| percentage = 1.27}}
{{Election box candidate no change
| candidate = Candidates
| party = Write-In
| votes = 329
| percentage = 0.12}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 266,884
| percentage = 100.00}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=South Carolina 4th congressional district election, 2014{{cite web |url=http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/53424/149816/en/summary.html# |title=South Carolina Election Commission Official Results |publisher=West Virginia Secretary of State|date=November 4, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2015}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Trey Gowdy (Incumbent)
|votes = 126,452
|percentage = 84.84
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Curtis E. McLaughlin Jr.
|votes = 21,969
|percentage = 14.74
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
|party = Write-Ins
|candidate =
|votes = 628
|percentage = 0.42
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 149,049
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=South Carolina 4th congressional district election, 2016{{cite web|title=South Carolina State Election Commission|url=http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/64658/183653/en/summary.html#|access-date=19 January 2017|language=en}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Trey Gowdy (Incumbent)
|votes = 198,648
|percentage = 67.19
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Chris Fedalei
|votes = 91,676
|percentage = 31.01
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Constitution Party (United States)
|candidate = Michael Chandler
|votes = 5,103
|percentage = 1.73
}}
{{Election box candidate no change
|party = Write-Ins
|candidate =
|votes = 243
|percentage = 0.08
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 295,670
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Trey Gowdy}}
{{wikiquote}}
- {{CongLinks | congbio=G000566 | votesmart=121782 | fec=H0SC04257 | congress=trey-gowdy/2058 }}
- {{C-SPAN|9268950}}
- [http://www.co.spartanburg.sc.us/govt/depts/sol/tgbio.htm Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612035302/http://www.co.spartanburg.sc.us/govt/depts/sol/tgbio.htm |date=2010-06-12 }} at Spartanburg County Government site
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|state = South Carolina
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|before = Bob Inglis
|years = 2011–2019
|after = William Timmons}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the House Benghazi Committee|years=2014–2016}}
{{s-non|reason=Position eliminated}}
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{{US House Oversight and Government Reform chairs}}
{{USCongRep-start|congresses=112th–115th United States Congresses |state=South Carolina}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowdy, Trey}}
Category:Assistant United States attorneys
Category:Baylor University alumni
Category:Politicians from Greenville, South Carolina
Category:Politicians from Spartanburg, South Carolina
Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
Category:South Carolina lawyers
Category:South Carolina state solicitors
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Category:University of South Carolina School of Law alumni
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