Trey Gowdy: A prosecutor and partisan at the heart of the GOP's Russia probe
By Karoun Demirjian
May 31 at 7:42 PM
In a Republican Party at war with itself over how to handle President Trump’s attacks on the Justice Department, Rep. Trey Gowdy is straddling the front line, debunking Trump’s claims that a spy infiltrated his campaign while giving him fresh ammunition against the attorney general — all in the span of about 24 hours this week.
As a key member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, and chairman of the House Oversight panel, Gowdy (R-S.C.) has held a prominent role in the GOP’s efforts to probe how federal law enforcement has handled its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and related matters. The career prosecutor made his mark in Congress investigating the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and the party’s leaders still tap him for such politically charged matters — whether allegations of FBI surveillance abuse, a probe of Hillary Clinton’s email practices or an Obama-era deal granting Russia a greater stake in the U.S. uranium market.
But Gowdy often has been unwilling as an architect of the GOP’s strategy, routinely resisting calls to issue subpoenas and other summonses to top Justice officials. This week, he became the only Republican briefed on the FBI’s use of an informant to publicly admonish Trump for insisting the government planted a spy in his campaign.
[On Fox News, of all places, Trump’s “spy” claim is debunked by Trey Gowdy and even Judge Napolitano]
“I think there’s a huge tension in Trey. . . . He’s a very, very good attack dog — he’s enormously articulate. He’s very smart,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who also serves on the Intelligence Committee and said he considers Gowdy a friend. But “I think it’s been very painful for him to see the FBI and the Department of Justice, two institutions that he has a lot of respect for, attacked so aggressively.”
Gowdy is not the only member of Congress whose competing sensibilities as a prosecutor and partisan have been tested as the Russia probe wears on. But because he played such a central role in the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation, his take on such matters can make or break the GOP’s arguments — even those championed by the president.
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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