Rep. Trey Gowdy filed paperwork for re-election on March 18, putting to bed rumors that the South Carolina lawmaker might not seek re-election.
“I have filed for re-election and am committed to work hard to try and earn the support of the people I currently have the privilege of serving,” Gowdy said in a statement to the Examiner. “I also look forward to meeting folks who have moved into the district over the course of the past two years and hearing their thoughts and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities before our country.”
Fellow Tea Party colleague Rep. John Fleming had claimed in September that Gowdy planned to retire following the conclusion of the special committee’s investigation into Benghazi.
“Trey wants to go back to South Carolina, and God bless him for that,” Fleming said on C-SPAN. “He plans to go back home, and he wants to finish his work on the Benghazi special committee. But he loves South Carolina and he loves his family, and he wants to go back and spend the rest of his life there.”
The third-term South Carolina representative later corrected Fleming, saying he was not retiring, though rumors continued to circulate due to Fleming’s initial comments.
Gowdy has been at the center of the investigation into Clinton’s role as secretary of state during the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, which killed four American citizens. Through committee hearings, the public eventually learned about Clinton’s private email server and multiple cell devices.
