Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said the White House isn’t correct by referring to the shooting of unarmed black men by police as a local matter when such incidents have been relatively prominent around the country.

“It's a national conversation. I actually took the local matter to be, maybe because I'm a prosecutor, that it's a state crime, it's a local law enforcement matter from the criminal justice standpoint but it's a national conversation,” Gowdy said on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”

Gowdy said as a prosecutor he usually understands the point of view of law enforcement officers easily, but his friendship with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who’s black, has made him realize the complexity of the issue.

He said there needs to be a wider conversation between white people and people of color about their experiences with the police.

"He has helped me remarkably,” Gowdy said of Scott. “Not just him but also other people of color in my life have helped me understand every interaction I've had with the police has been because I was speeding. I should have had interaction with them.

“I've never been stopped by Capitol police, I don't wear a member pin. He's been stopped wearing a member pin. I am naive to believe that my life experience covers everyone. I have no idea what he sees when he sees blue lights.”