Starting a trend for other politicians.
Rep. Trey Gowdy said he’s going to leave Congress at the end of his term because he feels like he’s been a “lousy politician” because he doesn’t see political life about winning and losing.
“I enjoy the justice system, I enjoy being fair. I enjoy the pursuit of fairness as a virtue. And I’m just more comfortable in that system,” he said on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”
“My wife hates it when I say this, but I was a pretty good prosecutor, I think. I’ve been a pretty lousy politician. I’ve done it for seven years, I’m really grateful for the opportunity to do it.”
Gowdy caught Washington off-guard earlier this week when he announced he would be retiring at the end of his term and would attempt to return to work as a prosecutor in South Carolina. He’s yet another high-profile Republican who has decided not to run again in 2018.
Gowdy, who led the high-profile investigation into the Benghazi attacks in 2012 on a special committee and now serves as the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he didn’t fit in well in Congress.
“I see multiple sides of a single issue. And the fact that someone disagrees with me does not make me challenge their love of the country, doesn’t make me believe that they’re corrupt,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of friends on the other side of the aisle who disagree on this issue, but I don’t question their love of the country, I don’t think the end justifies the means.”