On October 9, two reports from The Associated Press and The Daily Beast revealed, respectively, that “former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy has been tapped to serve as outside counsel to President Donald Trump,” and Gowdy “has been terminated and is no longer a contributor” for Fox News. Gowdy became a Fox News contributor in January, the same month that he left the House of Representatives, and his paid commentary of late has frequently echoed Trump’s flailing defenses against the impeachment inquiry. Now, those appearances defending the president on his favorite network may have contributed to Gowdy’s hiring, becoming the latest example of the revolving door between Fox News and the Trump administration.

Since The Wall Street Journal reported on September 20 that the whistleblower complaint involved Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, leading to the inquiry announced on September 24, Gowdy has gone on Fox to slam Democrats for “mishandling this investigation,” make dishonest comparisons between Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former President Barack Obama, lend credibility to a conspiracy theory pushed by the president, and single out some of Trump’s favorite targets for attack.