Gowdy: Classified Briefing ‘Convinced’ Me FBI Was Right To Use Informant

UNITED STATES - MAY 25: Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., walks down the House steps as he leaves the Capitol for the Memorial Day recess following the final votes of the week on Thursday, May 25, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), told Fox News on Tuesday that after attending the President Trump-mandated classified Justice Department briefing last week, he’s “convinced” the FBI acted correctly in deploying an informant to meet with Trump campaign officials.

“I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got and that it has nothing to do with Trump,” he said Tuesday evening.

The senior House Republican on the Intelligence Committee also said that after sitting in on the classified meeting, he thinks the FBI was actually just following directives from Trump himself.

“It looks to me like the FBI was doing what President Trump said: ‘I want you to do, find it out,’” Gowdy told Fox News. “President Trump himself in the Comey memos said, ‘If anyone connected with my campaign was working with Russia, I want you to investigate it.’ Sounds to me like that was exactly what the FBI did.”

Gowdy’s comments represent a small rift among Republicans who don’t align with Trump’s reaction to reports that an FBI informant met with officials on his campaign during the election. Just last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-NC) appeared to break with the President as well, contending that an “informant is not a spy.”

Trump and his allies have seized on reports of the informant to perpetuate the narrative that a “spy” infiltrated his campaign. Deeming the whole ordeal “spygate,” Trump is convinced the news solidifies his belief in a “deep state” within the Justice Department working to undermine him.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. I think they called it on Mourning Joe
    Gowdy is acting as a Ryan / surrogate /stooge, so Pauly doesn’t have to show his face and imperil his standing with the base and ergo his Potential Lobbying cred with the base

  2. Gowdy better watch out. People may start to think he’s honest.

  3. No, he still looks like a reptile

  4. “Trey Gowdy is a Deep State loser. Except that part about ‘it has nothing to do with Trump.’ That part is true. I am vindicated. No Collusion! No Obstruction! Witch Hunt!!”

  5. In the book, Draco Malfoy grows up under the spell of Voldemort but finds it within himself to do the right thing.

    In real life, this keeps happening over and over. He says the right thing, only to be pulled back under the Voldemort’s spell. Then, he learns he was wrong, and says the right thing, but inevitably starts doing Voldemort’s bidding again … over and over and over.

    It’s like the Harry Potter series meets Groundhog Day.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

31 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for daled Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for chammy Avatar for trnc Avatar for juliagrey Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for lastroth Avatar for arc_of_the_universe Avatar for sarenarterius Avatar for zrx1100 Avatar for gharlane Avatar for lamitatron1 Avatar for rickjones Avatar for canadachris Avatar for katscherger Avatar for read2much Avatar for 10c Avatar for billyn Avatar for the_loan_arranger Avatar for temmerling Avatar for phi Avatar for c_stedman Avatar for captain_america

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: