The Republican Steering Committee on Thursday chose Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) to lead the high-profile House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Politico first reported the committee’s decision, noting that the full GOP conference would still have to confirm Gowdy for the job.
The South Carolina congressman would take over for the Oversight Committee’s current chair, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who last month announced that he would finish his current term early, on June 30. Chaffetz cited a “little bit of a midlife crisis” after turning 50 in March, the Deseret News reported.
In a statement, Chaffetz said chairing the committee had been the “privilege of a lifetime” and said Gowdy “has a long history of demanding accountability, upholding transparency, and relentlessly pursuing the truth.”
In a separate statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said “Trey Gowdy possesses the experience and deep commitment to transparency and accountability necessary to be the House’s next Oversight chairman.”
Gowdy previously served on Trump’s presidential transition, Politico noted, and led the House Select Committee on Benghazi. In January, he became a member the House Intelligence Committee.
The Oversight Committee is one of a number committees investigating potential ties between Trump associates and Russian officials. The committee’s ranking member, Elijah Cummings (D-MA), has been especially dogged in tracking down payments that ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn received — without the required disclosure — from individuals and organizations representing foreign governments.
In a statement, Cummings congratulated Gowdy and said “I look forward to working with him in a constructive and bipartisan manner on an agenda that serves the interests of the American people. He is our Chairman, and we pledge to support his efforts whenever we can.”
He also thanked Chaffetz for initiating the committee’s Russia investigation, and working “hard to identify and promote work that all Members could support.”
In a statement posted online by HuffPost’s Sam Stein, Gowdy thanked his colleagues and said the committee was “important to ensure branch integrity and equilibrium.”
Gowdy statement accepting his post as chair of the Oversight Committee pic.twitter.com/HQnxQTKUc1
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) June 8, 2017
This post has been updated.
