South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy is retiring from Congress an unhappy man. He's even counting the number of trips to the airport he has left until he can leave D.C. for good.

"[T]o the extent men judge themselves based on what they do for a living, I don't have a lot to show for the last seven years," the departing Congressman told VICE News.

One of the most prominent members elected as part of the Tea Party wave in 2010, Gowdy gained national notoriety as a fiercely partisan interrogator of Hillary Clinton following the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

But Gowdy, a former prosecutor, said he doesn't relish the reputation, or think it's justified — and now, it's helped drive him out of Congress. In January, he made the surprise announcement that he wouldn't seek re-election, citing excessive partisanship.

Regrets? Gowdy's got a few. But he's ready to move on.