Former Rep. Trey Gowdy has agreed to a request from the White House to assist President Trump as the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry moves forward.

Though initial reports claimed that Gowdy had declined an invite from the White House to participate in the president's defense, the former GOP representative of South Carolina is now on board to assist, according to Law & Crime.

Gowdy was approached by the White House this week as potential legal counsel for Trump as he prepares to fight against an impeachment investigation stemming from a July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a report from CNN. Though Gowdy is an accomplished attorney, the nature of his involvement in Trump's fight against impeachment is not immediately clear.

"Confirmed, per a senior White House official, who says Trump has blessed the move," Washington Post White House reporter Josh Dawsey tweeted on Tuesday night. "Trey Gowdy is on the Trump team."

Confirmed, per a senior White House official, who says Trump has blessed the move. Trey Gowdy is on the Trump team. https://t.co/yjhaK8LsOF — Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 8, 2019

Gowdy, 55, opted to retire from Congress ahead of the 2018 election to continue his career as an attorney. He has also become a regular FOX News contributor and has spoken consistently against the Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump. He has sharply criticized House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff for his false characterization of the phone call between Trump and Zelensky and his possible knowledge of the whistleblower before the complaint was made official.

Gowdy has also suggested that Schiff should be called as a "fact witness" for his potential prior knowledge of the call.

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UPDATE: FOX News has confirmed that Gowdy has been terminated as a contributor on the network following confirmation that he will provide outside counsel to Trump during the impeachment inquiry.

This story was updated after initial reports that Gowdy declined to participate in an impeachment defense changed to reflect that Gowdy was likely on board to assist in Trump's defense.