SOLID CHOICE FOR KEY D.C. PANEL
This website hasn’t always seen eye to eye ideologically or politically with congressman Trey Gowdy (SC-4). After a strong start in 2011, this fourth-term lawmaker has cast some votes we didn’t particularly care for recently – and we obviously didn’t care at all for his endorsement of establishment “Republican” Marco Rubio during last year’s presidential race.
Having said that, whenever Gowdy’s name has been raised in connection with next-level opportunities – like a possible seat on the U.S. fourth circuit court of appeals or a possible appointment as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – we have supported him.
How come? Because we believe the former state solicitor would have been perfect for both of those jobs.
Another job he’s perfect for? Chairman of the U.S. House oversight and government reform committee – a position he will inherit at the end of the month when current chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah steps down.
Gowdy’s selection for this post puts to an end a cycle of speculation that – at various points over the last year – had him becoming S.C. chief justice, S.C. lieutenant governor, a federal judge and, most recently, the new FBI leader.
“Trey Gowdy is the right person for the job,” Chaffetz said in a statement supporting his successor. “He has a long history of demanding accountability, upholding transparency, and relentlessly pursuing the truth. Under his capable leadership, the committee will continue to work towards ensuring effectiveness and efficiency throughout the federal government. As his friend and colleague, I have every confidence in his abilities moving forward.”
He should …
Last year, Gowdy concluded a high-profile U.S. House investigation into the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack against an American diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya. More recently he’s also been among the most aggressive critics of former FBI director James Comey as it relates to the latter’s mishandling of an investigation into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s extra-legal email server.
In both of these instances – and others – Gowdy has emerged as a rare credible voice amid the D.C. cacophony.
Gowdy assumes the gavel of this committee at a highly charged moment in American history. Washington, D.C. has become polarized like never before – with Democrats (and some establishment “Republicans”) eager to bring down the administration of president Donald Trump at all costs. Meanwhile there have been seismic revelations attendant to the Trump inquiry that have caused his critics some serious heartburn as well …
Then there’s the real problem: An increasingly dysfunctional “feedback loop.”
At a time when “fake news” – and its accompanying mindless, reflexive “fringe babble” – seems to have consumed the public discourse, no one in Washington has been able to cut through the clamoring and speak “truth to crazy.”
While we relish our role as fire-breathers on certain issues, it’s becoming increasingly clear to us that there is a growing need for dispassionate voices, meticulous combers of fact and individuals whose ethics are above reproach to re-engage in the arena – hopefully injecting some long-overdue substance and perspective into the vanguard of current thought.
Bottom line? The American Republic is in desperate need of a modern day Joe Friday – someone who can say “just the facts, ma’am” and then be trusted to follow those facts wherever they lead.
Is Gowdy that sort of guy?
“I am grateful to the steering committee and the conference as a whole for this opportunity to serve,” Gowdy said in a statement this week. “I look forward to working alongside the other Committee members, as well as any member of Congress, as we discharge the jurisdiction assigned to us.”
Sounds pretty Joe Friday-esque to us …
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