Rep. John Fleming, R-La., has walked back comments he made on C-SPAN on Wednesday morning that House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., will retire from Congress at the end of his current term.
“I commend Rep. Trey Gowdy for the yeoman’s work he’s doing for the good of our country as Chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi,” Fleming said in a statement. “I’ve apologized to Trey privately for having misspoken on his future plans, but wanted to make this apology public.”
“After speaking with him, I do believe that he will be running for re-election,” he added. “I know Trey intends to fulfill his work on the Select Committee, which may extend beyond this Congress.”
Fleming’s comments surprised many, and were very specific about Gowdy’s plans. He said Gowdy “wants to go back to South Carolina,” and said Gowdy wanted to finish his work on the Benghazi committee, and then leave Congress “at the end of his term.”
His new prediction would seem to leave open the possibility that Gowdy may even try to run as House majority leader. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has tried to recruit Gowdy for that role.
