Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., is stepping down from his role on the House Ethics Committee, citing a “challenging workload” as the reason for his departure.

Gowdy informed House Speaker Paul Ryan of his decision in a letter on Jan. 10, the details of which were not made public until Saturday. The South Carolina Republican was tapped to lead the House Oversight Committee last June, after the former chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, left Congress for a job at Fox News.