Trey Gowdy
Trey Gowdy | |
---|---|
House Oversight Committee | |
In office June 13, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Jason Chaffetz |
Succeeded by | Elijah Cummings |
Chair of the House Benghazi Committee | |
In office May 8, 2014 – July 8, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Bob Inglis |
Succeeded by | William Timmons |
Personal details | |
Born | Harold Watson Gowdy III August 22, 1964 Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Terri Dillard (m. 1989) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Baylor University (BA) University of South Carolina (JD) |
Signature | |
Website | www |
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 South Carolina's 4th congressional district 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
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.[6][1] He has since rejoined the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough,[7] and also joined Fox News as a contributor.[8] In early 2021, he served as an interim host of Fox News Primetime,[9] 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.[10]
Early life and education
Gowdy was born on August 22, 1964, in
Legal career
Gowdy worked as
In February 2000, he left the United States Attorney's Office to run for
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2010
In the summer of 2009, Gowdy announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis in the Republican primary for South Carolina's 4th congressional district.
Despite getting a 93% lifetime rating from the
In the
2012
Gowdy ran for re-election to a second term against Democrat Deb Morrow.
2014
Gowdy ran for re-election again in 2014. His only opponent was Libertarian Curtis E. McLaughlin.[28] 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.[29]
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."[30] While chairing the House Oversight Committee Gowdy tackled high-profile investigations.[30] Democrats criticized Gowdy for conducting his investigations in a partisan fashion.[30] 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.[30] However, in a June 2018 hearing, Gowdy urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to wrap up the special counsel investigation.[31] Rosenstein rejected the suggestion, saying the special counsel investigation should finish "appropriately".[31] 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.[32]
In August 2011, during the
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.[36][37]
An ardent social conservative, Gowdy considers himself "pro-life plus." He not only believes "in the sanctity of life," but argues that "the strategy should be broader than waiting for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade."[38]
Gowdy signed the
In May 2018, Gowdy challenged President Trump's accusation saying that the FBI had spied on his 2016 presidential campaign.[30] As a result Gowdy was attacked by various Trump allies; Politico reported that Gowdy was "virtually alone, getting little support from his House colleagues."[30][37] In June 2018, Speaker Paul Ryan came out in support of Gowdy, saying that Gowdy's assessment was "accurate".[41]
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.[42] During the hearing Gowdy repeatedly pressed Strzok about a text message saying Strzok said "we'll stop Trump".[42] 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".[42] 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."[42] He added that he knew of information during the 2016 presidential campaign that could have damaged Trump but that he never contemplated leaking it.[42] Strzok said that the investigation into him and the Republicans' related rhetoric was misguided and played into "our enemies' campaign to tear America apart."[42]
Legislation
On March 4, 2014, Gowdy introduced the ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014 into the House.[43] 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.[44][45] House Republicans argued that the bill was necessary because the Obama Administration refused to enforce the laws.[46] 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[47]
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.[49] 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.[50] Gowdy's endorsement strained his relations with Donald Trump's campaign; Trump said that Gowdy had "failed miserably on Benghazi".[51][52] 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.[53] 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.[54]
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.[55]
Personal life
Gowdy is married to Terri (born Terri Dillard)[56] Gowdy, a former Miss Spartanburg and 2nd runner up for Miss South Carolina.[57] The couple have two children, Watson and Abigail. As of January 2019, Terri Dillard Gowdy was a first-grade teacher in the Spartanburg School District.[7]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy | 34,103 | 39.22 | |
Republican | Bob Inglis (incumbent) | 23,877 | 27.46 | |
Republican | Jim Lee | 11,854 | 13.63 | |
Republican | David L. Thomas | 11,073 | 12.74 | |
Republican | Christina Fawcett Jeffrey | 6,041 | 6.95 | |
Total votes | 86,948 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy | 51,541 | 70.18 | |
Republican | Bob Inglis (incumbent) | 21,898 | 29.82 | |
Total votes | 73,439 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy | 137,586 | 63.45 | |
Democratic | Paul Corden | 62,438 | 28.79 | |
Constitution | Dave Edwards | 11,059 | 5.10 | |
Libertarian | Rick Mahler | 3,010 | 1.39 | |
Green
|
Faye Walters | 2,564 | 1.18 | |
Write-ins | 181 | 0.08 | ||
Total votes | 216,838 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy (Incumbent) | 173,201 | 64.90 | |
Democratic | Deb Morrow | 89,964 | 33.71 | |
Green
|
Jeff Sumerel | 3,390 | 1.27 | |
Write-In | Candidates | 329 | 0.12 | |
Total votes | 266,884 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy (Incumbent) | 126,452 | 84.84 | |
Libertarian | Curtis E. McLaughlin Jr. | 21,969 | 14.74 | |
Write-Ins | 628 | 0.42 | ||
Total votes | 149,049 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Trey Gowdy (Incumbent) | 198,648 | 67.19 | |
Democratic | Chris Fedalei | 91,676 | 31.01 | |
Constitution | Michael Chandler | 5,103 | 1.73 | |
Write-Ins | 243 | 0.08 | ||
Total votes | 295,670 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold |
References
- ^ a b Dumain, Emma (January 31, 2018). "Gowdy, key player in Clinton, Trump campaign probes, won't seek another term". McClatchy DC website. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "The Endless Trial of Trey Gowdy's Benghazi Committee". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
- ^ "Clinton team used special program to scrub server, Gowdy says". Fox News. 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ "Gowdy: Clinton should be prosecuted". thestate. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
- ^ "Trey Gowdy". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- ^ a b c Connor, Eric. Trey Gowdy swears off politics as he joins power firm Nelson Mullins in Greenville, Greenville News, January 3, 2019.
- ^ "Trey Gowdy joins Fox News as a contributor". 30 January 2019.
- ^ "Former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy to host new Fox News Primetime show week of Feb. 1".
- ^ Johnson, Julia (2023-05-19). "Trey Gowdy will host Tucker Carlson's former 8 pm slot on Fox News this week". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ "Circuit Solicitor: Trey Gowdy Bio". Spartanburgcounty.org. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ "Harold Watson "Trey" Gowdy III". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ McCutcheon, Michael; Barone, Chuck (2013). 2014 Almanac of American Politics. The University of Chicago Press.
- ^ a b "Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ Spencer, Janet S. (April 29, 2000). "Gowdy spins web campaign". Herald-Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ "Trey Gowdy". IMDb. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "Meet Trey". Trey Gowdy. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ ACU Ratings of Congress: 111th Congress, Second Session (40th Edition). American Conservative Union, 2010. p. 32. PDF available online; retrieved January 14, 2017.
- Politico.com. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
- ^ "SC District 4 – R Primary Race". Our Campaigns. June 8, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ McArdle, John. Inglis Forced Into Runoff. Archived 2010-06-09 at the Wayback Machine Congressional Quarterly. June 8, 2010.
- ^ "SC District 4 – R Runoff Race". Our Campaigns. June 22, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- CQ Politics, June 22, 2010.
- ^ "SC District 4 Race". Our Campaigns. November 2, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ "Deb Morrow Seeks Democratic Nod for Congress – Taylors-Wade Hampton". January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ Miller, Joshua (August 2, 2011). "Race Ratings: GOP Strengthens Grip on South Carolina". Roll Call. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ "2014 Election Results Senate: Live Map by State, Midterm Midterm Races Races". Politico. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ Shain, Andrew (March 26, 2014). "Election 2014 (updated): Who's filed for statewide, State House, Congressional offices". The State. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ^ Chris Lavender (March 4, 2016). "Spartanburg native Chris Fedalei to challenge Gowdy". Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Trump allies gang up on Gowdy". POLITICO. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
- ^ a b Breuninger, Kevin (2018-06-28). "Rod Rosenstein rejects call to 'finish' Russia investigation, saying it should end 'appropriately'". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
- ^ Sherman, Jake (May 13, 2012). "Right wants more from John Boehner". Politico. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ^ Brady, Jessica (December 29, 2011). "Detainee Provisions Still Cause for Concern". Roll Call. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly Guide to the New Congress, 2010 Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Drury, Shawn (March 1, 2012). "Rep. Trey Gowdy Awarded by Club for Growth". Mauldin Patch. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ^ a b "Rep. Trey Gowdy Awarded by Club for Growth". Mauldin, SC Patch. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
- ^ "Issues". Gowdy For Congress. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ "Contract From America". Contract From America. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^ a b c d e f "FBI agent defiantly rejects bias charges at chaotic hearing". AP News. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ^ "H.R. 4138 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "H.R. 4138 – CBO". Congressional Budget Office. 10 March 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ Kiefer, Francine (March 12, 2014). "Can House Republicans make Obama enforce laws?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ "House backs bill to sue president over laws". Washington Post. Associated Press. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 16, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ^ "HPSCI Majority Members | U.S. House of Representatives". intelligence.house.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ Weiss, Rusty (July 29, 2015). "Trump Just Announced Possible Cabinet Members That Will Make Liberals Cringe". Headline Politics. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ^ Collins, Eliza (December 29, 2015). "Trey Gowdy endorses Marco Rubio". Politico.
- ^ "Scorned Trump Team Turns On Man They Once Loved". The Daily Beast. December 28, 2015.
- ^ "Marco Rubio is scoring some big endorsements. But do they matter?". MSNBC. December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Gowdy endorses Trump". thehill.com. May 20, 2016.
- ^ Eliza Collins, 15 May 2017: Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former FBI contender, keeps making Republican short lists
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
- ^ "Biography". December 11, 2012.
- ^ "Congressional Profile: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) - Heritage Action for America". heritageaction.com.
- ^ SC District 4 - R Primary. Our Campaigns.
- ^ SC District 4 - R Runoff. Our Campaigns.
- ^ "Election Results : 2012 General Election : South Carolina State Election Commission". Scvotes.org. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ "Election Statistics – US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". Karen Haas, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ The votes for the Democratic candidate includes votes cast for the candidate who also ran under the Working Families Party ticket
- ^ "South Carolina Election Commission Official Results". West Virginia Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ^ "South Carolina State Election Commission". Retrieved 19 January 2017.
External links
- Trey Gowdy at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine at Spartanburg County Government site