House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdySunday shows preview: Election integrity dominates as Nov. 3 nears Tim Scott invokes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd in Trump convention speech Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington MORE (R-S.C.) said in a recent interview that Democrats are “smart enough” to include information that will require redactions in their rebuttal to the controversial GOP House Intelligence Committee memo.

In an appearance on Fox News’s “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” Gowdy appeared to suggest that lawmakers in the opposing party want Americans to wonder about information that may be redacted.

“The Democrats are politically smart enough to put things in the memo that require either the [Federal] Bureau [of Investigation] or the Department of Justice to say it needs to be redacted. Therefore, it creates this belief that there's something being hidden from the American people,” Gowdy said.

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Gowdy’s remarks come after the House Intelligence Committee, of which he is also a member, last week released a GOP-crafted memo alleging surveillance abuses at the Justice Department.

The committee on Monday voted to release a Democratic countermemo disputing the original Republican document, which was drafted by staff for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Devin Gerald NunesSunday shows preview: With less than two months to go, race for the White House heats up Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington Sunday shows preview: White House, congressional Democrats unable to breach stalemate over coronavirus relief MORE (R-Calif.).

While the Democratic memo has yet to be released, the Intelligence panel's ranking member Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffTop Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies MORE (D-Calif.) on Tuesday expressed worries that the White House could make "political redactions" to the Democratic document.

Gowdy said in the Fox interview he thinks Democrats may purposely include information that needs to be redacted.

“But unfortunately we're in an environment where you would include material that you know has to be redacted and you know responsible people are going to redact it, just so that question will be asked,” he said.