Trey Gowdy Is Leaving Washington And Going Home

To those of us who keep an eye on Washington whether a person has a positive or negative opinion of Trey Gowdy the thing they may find most impressive about Gowdy is that he has had enough of Washington and has the courage to say that he wants out. Gowdy appeared on Face The Nation recently and made the Sunday morning talk show worth watching. These shows covering what is happening in America's capital tend to drive me crazy but his appearance was solid. The Gowdy interview, was surprising in that while I did not agree with much of what he said it was refreshing to see an elected official coming across both as honest and nonpartisan. To clarify, Gowdy appeared not so much nonpartisan by being "in the middle of the road" on his views but in that, he did not demonize those who disagreed with his views.

Could He Have Risen Higher In Politics?

Here is a little about "Trey" Gowdy III, he is an attorney turned politician. Gowdy is a former federal prosecutor that has served as U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 4th congressional district since 2011. He is a Republican and was swept into office as a member of the Tea Party movement. His district includes much of the Upstate region of South Carolina, including Greenville and Spartanburg. since he is rather conservative his views will not be shared by many Americans which makes him a bit of a target.

Gowdy has decided not to run again, and his reason appears legitimate, he does not like the atmosphere or what they are doing. In reference to the way business is conducted in Washington, he said "it is all about winning" and getting a bill through. He seems to understand this is not as important as doing the right thing. In the interview, his comments seemed to be tempered by his disillusion with a process where little ever really gets done in a definitive way.

I would not have bothered to pound this post out had it not been for the reaction to another article that appeared on Zero Hedge about his appearance on Face The Nation. In the comment section below the article, many of the readers were almost vicious in their attacks. The article focused on the idea Gowdy did not hammer Special Counsel Bob Mueller for being out of line on his Russian probe. Clearly, not everyone thought much of the views flowing from Gowdy's mouth. Here are a few of the harsher or snarky comments that received a fair number of "likes."

• Trey is another swamp creature who has seen the writing on the wall and is getting out of Dodge as fast as he can before he too swings from the nearest lamp post.

• Gowdy is a douchebag who has shown repeatedly that he can talk purty but don't put out. 

• and one that was more balanced;  I hope and pray that Gowdy is appearing to be impartial because Trump is about to replace Sessions with Gowdy. He is perfect for the job and if Democrats tried to stop the appointment, they would look stupid. Please God, let it be so.

A Very Conservative Nonpartisan

As the chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi Gowdy led one of the longest and most bruisingly partisan congressional investigations in history. While the committee ultimately found no new evidence of wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton in the 2012 attacks in Libya that left four Americans dead it did leave Clinton's image tarnished. It discovered that Mrs. Clinton had used a private email server during her time as Secretary of State that eventually lead to an F.B.I. investigation and dogged Clinton throughout her presidential campaign. In the end,  all this left Gowdy with the image on Capitol Hill of being one of Congress’s most strategic and polarizing investigators.

Returning to why the 53-year-old lawmaker has decided not to seek reelection or seek higher office Gowdy says, “I will not be filing for reelection or seeking any other political elective office. Instead, I’ll be returning to 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.” A person familiar with his plans said that Mr. Gowdy had turned down an offer by the Trump administration him for a judgeship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and that he planned to enter private practice in South Carolina instead. Most likely Washington will be glad to see Gowdy depart because it is an area of the country where truth is not held in high regard simply gets lost in the noise.