Rep. Trey Gowdy, S.C., revealed that House leadership placed him in the House Intelligence Committee because it had a reputation of being nonpartisan.
In an interview conducted by Vice News, Gowdy noted how the rationale behind the assignment became ironic because the intelligence panel has since become one of the most divided committees over the course of its Russia investigation.
Gowdy explained how his prior assignments with the ethics and Benghazi panels contributed to a sense that he was a “hyperpartisan,” as Vice’s Michael Moynihan put it.
“Paul I think watched that and Paul knows me pretty well. And he says, ‘That’s not who the guy is. It’s not where he’s happiest. We’ll put you on House Intel,'” Gowdy said of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
He said the intelligence panel, which he joined in the beginning of 2017, was the “most highly coveted committee in Congress.”
“It is a-political, it is bipartisan. It never makes the news. And then Russia happened. And the House Intelligence Committee was more divisive than the Oversight Committee has ever been,” Gowdy said.
Gowdy, a former prosecutor, announced in January that he will not seek re-election this year and will retire from Congress.
In recent weeks, the congressman has been openly critical of some elements on Congress, saying on Sunday that congressional investigations are “terrible” and aren’t serious looks into issues facing the country.
The House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russia, which was closed last month, was marred by leaks from both Republicans and Democrats and political fighting among the top two members of the committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
