Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said on Monday that ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok was given a "much fairer process" than what he gave to President Trump as a lead investigator in the special counsel's Russia investigation.

Strzok, who sent a string of anti-Trump text messages to a colleague with whom he was having an extramarital affair, was fired on Friday by FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, his lawyer revealed Monday.

Asked on Fox News why, after a monthslong look into his texts, Strzok was dismissed only now, Gowdy surmised that inquiry had simply reached the point where Strzok's fate had simply reached Bowdich's desk. The House Oversight Committee chairman defended Bowdich as being a seasoned veteran and who was not a political appointee.

[Opinion: Peter Strzok is fired, and this former FBI agent is shedding no tears for him]



.@TGowdySC: "Peter Strzok received a much fairer process than what he was giving to Donald Trump." #TheStory https://t.co/rLte0ZDjd7 pic.twitter.com/Y5ZIIr4c1O — Fox News (@FoxNews) August 13, 2018

In a statement, Strzok's lawyer, Aitan Goelman, argued that the decision to fire Strzok was politically motivated, said Strzok's congressional testimony this summer failed to produce "a shred" of evidence that Strzok's personal views ever affected his work, and complained that Bowdich "reversed" the decision of the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility that would have only demoted Strzok and slapped him with a 60-day suspension.

Goelman also suggested in an interview on MSNBC that Trump's tweets "demonizing" Strzok and calls from Capitol Hill Republicans to have Strzok fired played a role in his ouster.

"No, Peter Strzok didn't need any help at all demonizing himself. He had that fully covered," Gowdy said in response, before taking a shot at Goelman. "If you pay someone enough, they will say damn near anything. Particularly lawyers."

