House Oversight Committee Chair Trey Gowdy (R-SC) on Sunday defended special counsel Robert Mueller from attacks by President Donald Trump following the Monday raids of Trump’s lawyer’s home, hotel and office.

Trump called the raids, which were later revealed to be part of a months-long criminal probe of his lawyer, Michael Cohen, “disgraceful” and “a whole new level of unfairness.”

Trump has blamed Mueller for what he characterized — incorrectly — as a break in. As Gowdy pointed out, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York actually oversaw the raids, after a referral from Mueller and approvals from the Justice Department and a judge.



“I don’t know what Mueller was supposed to do other than what he did,” Gowdy told “Fox News Sunday”’s Chris Wallace. “When a prosecutor comes in contact with information or evidence of a crime, what are you supposed to do, other than to refer it to the appropriate jurisdiction?”

“How this is Mueller’s fault just defies logic to me,” he added later.

Gowdy announced in January that he would not seek another term in Congress. He’s said a number of times that Trump should cooperate with Mueller’s probe.

At one point in the Sunday interview, Wallace asked about a proposal floated recently by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon advised Trump to “make this political” by firing Rosenstein, one among a number of hugely controversial potential moves.

“I don’t know who would take advice from Steve Bannon,” Gowdy said, before noting that while Trump had the authority to fire Rosenstein, he didn’t think such a move would be wise.