Washington (CNN) Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, said Wednesday he's retiring from Congress because he misses the justice system and prefers working in an environment "where facts matter."

"I like jobs where facts matter. I like jobs where fairness matters. I like jobs where, frankly, where the process matters. It's not just about winning and it's not just about reaching a result," Gowdy told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."

The former federal prosecutor who has served in Congress for seven years said he's "more at peace in jobs that reward fairness and are fact-centric than I am in Congress."

"So facts don't matter in Congress?" Camerota asked.

"I think what matters in Congress is finding a group and then validating or ratifying what they already believe," Gowdy replied.

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