Rep. Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdySunday shows preview: Election integrity dominates as Nov. 3 nears Tim Scott invokes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd in Trump convention speech Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington MORE (R-S.C.) on Wednesday voiced confidence in the Justice Department's inspector general after President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE attacked the government watchdog earlier in the day over a probe into alleged surveillance abuses.

Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz "has been fair, fact centric, and appropriately confidential with his work."

“He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate without a single dissent. I have complete confidence in him," Gowdy added in a statement, saying he hopes Horowitz gets "the time, the resources and the independence to complete his work."

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Horowitz is an increasingly critical player in the controversy surrounding the FBI and the Russia probe, and has also been leading a probe of the FBI's handling of the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Democratic super PAC to hit Trump in battleground states over coronavirus deaths Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE's use of a private email server as secretary of State.

Gowdy's defense of the watchdog Wednesday came after Trump took to Twitter to criticize Attorney General Jeff Sessions for appointing the inspector general — instead of Department of Justice lawyers — to investigate allegations that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was improperly used to obtain warrants to monitor the Trump campaign team.

"Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse," Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. "Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!"

Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2018

Trump’s tweet marked the latest attack against his attorney general, whom Trump has repeatedly criticized for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz Jason ChaffetzThe myth of the conservative bestseller Elijah Cummings, Democratic chairman and powerful Trump critic, dies at 68 House Oversight panel demands DeVos turn over personal email records MORE (R-Utah), the previous head of the Oversight committee, said on Fox News’s "America’s Newsroom" that Trump’s Twitter attacks against Sessions were "mind-boggling" and "almost embarrassing.”

Rep. Pete King Peter (Pete) KingTrump holds private funeral service for brother Robert Trump at White House Cheney clashes with Trump Coronavirus Report: The Hill's Steve Clemons interviews Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney MORE (R-N.Y.) also said on Wednesday that, although he understands where the president is coming from, he would not have attacked Sessions.

Gowdy, who is set to leave Congress after this year, has previously defended Robert Mueller, the special counsel heading the investigation into alleged ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia amid Moscow's interference in the 2016 election.