South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy announced Friday evening he would back Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s nominee for president, but the show of support did not come easily for the House Benghazi Committee chairman.
Gowdy, who previously had endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, told MSNBC host Chuck Todd he would support the presumptive nominee. But the “Meet the Press Daily” moderator asked if he was ready to “wholeheartedly” endorse the New York businessman.
“I’m not sure what the difference is, but if it makes you feel better, I’m happy to say, ‘I endorse Donald Trump,'” Gowdy said. “I was a Rubio guy and if Marco had won, I would have expected Cruz supporters and the Kasich supporters and the Trump supporters to support my guy. So my guy lost and when the jury speaks, I’m going to respect the jury. I’m going to support the Republican nominee who is very likely to be Donald Trump.”
Gowdy did say he was disappointed with Trump’s list of judges he would pick from if nominating a Supreme Court justice.
“I was in the federal system for six years and the judges that were well respected when I was in the federal system, I didn’t see those names on the list. Paul Clement is a brilliant jurorist and would make a great Supreme Court justice. I didn’t see his name on the list. But I’m also not going to be the president. So it doesn’t matter who would be on my list,” Gowdy said.
