The Good the Bad and the Gowdy

Trey Gowdy to take over as House Oversight Committee chairman

When Trey Gowdy’s name was mentioned as a possible replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey, I scoffed. Floating Gowdy was a smart play from the White House, since they know the base loves him, but I didn’t buy it for a second. There are several reasons for that, but at the top of the list is “why would he want to do that? Congress is a nice cushy gig.” Gowdy currently sits on the Oversight Committee, where his brutal interrogations make for riveting YouTube gold. Clips of him grilling the players in just about every major Obama-era scandal are now the stuff of political legend. If you’re a Republican, you almost certainly love watching him tear into whatever crooked Democrat has the misfortune to cross his path. In short, it’s a lot of fun and being a member of Congress has an awful lot of perks.

Gowdy seems to be enjoying himself. Once he latches on to the red meat and starts shaking his head back and forth, you can almost see it in his eyes. He genuinely enjoys ripping these people - and their bald-faced lies - to shreds. Now, the Committee chair, Jason Chaffetz, has announced he’ll leave Congress next month, and Gowdy is ready to take his seat. The House’s most powerful investigative gavel is set to land in the hands of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) with little drama once Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz leaves Congress next month, according to multiple members and aides familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions about the post. Chaffetz (R-Utah) is stepping down June 30 to pursue a private-sector career amid sharp public focus on the Republican Congress’s willingness to conduct oversight on President Trump and his administration. Your first instinct is to cheer. As I said, you love watching the carnage, so you’re not alone in your enthusiasm. ...But there was someone else who was looking at the gig. Gowdy, who led the two-year House Benghazi probe, has secured near-unanimous support among members of the House Republican Steering Committee — the 36-member body that selects committee chairmen — and one key potential rival said Monday that he would not seek the Oversight gavel.

“I have not been making a play, and I’m not going to,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Monday. “Look, you guys know how this works: The establishment’s not going to put the anti-establishment guy in charge of the committee whose job it is to go after the establishment.” Jordan did not express opposition to Gowdy becoming chairman. “I think Trey’s probably going to be our guy, and Trey’s a good guy,” he said. That’s what you call some heavy-duty shade. Now, I like Gowdy as much as the next guy and, like you, I certainly enjoy seeing him dismember the left. However, I have my concerns. They stem from one simple question: “What has Gowdy actually accomplished?” Gowdy’s interrogations may be exciting, but they have a nasty habit of going ...nowhere. You can certainly argue that the Benghazi hearings, which produced the now-infamous “what difference does it make” clip, damaged Hillary’s eventual candidacy. You can also make a fair point that, in a town where corruption and criminality are rife, it’s nice to have someone who knows how to make a show of opposing it.

However, if you’re hoping that someone will drill down to the bottom of the left’s myriad transgressions - and that the people involved will face actual penalties - I’m not sure Gowdy’s track record is so great. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trashing the guy. As I said, I like him. At this point, though, I want someone who does more than make me “like” what they’re doing. I want some results. I want heads to roll, and charges to be pressed. Maybe, with Gowdy in charge we’ll see more of that. I hope so. ...But I can’t ignore the sneaking suspicion that we’ve been watching theater. Good theater, mind you, but theater nonetheless. It’s time for the show to end. D.C. needs a harsh dose of reality, and it needs it fast. If Trey Gowdy is going to take this job, he’d better do more than simply tread water.



Robert Laurie -- Bio and Archives Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

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