Gowdy Poised To Join White House Legal Team Combatting Impeachment Inquiry

Deputy Assistant FBI Director Peter Strzok testifies before a joint committee hearing of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill July 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. While involved in the probe into Hillary ClintonÕs use of a private email server in 2016, Strzok exchanged text messages with FBI attorney Lisa Page that were critical of Trump. After learning about the messages, Mueller removed Strzok from his investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 12: House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) questions Deputy Assistant FBI Director Peter Strzok during ajoint hearing of his committee and the House Judiciar... WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 12: House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) questions Deputy Assistant FBI Director Peter Strzok during ajoint hearing of his committee and the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill July 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The White House has retained former South Carolina congressman Trey Gowdy — who gained prominence in conservative circles for his bombastic performance as a Benghazi prosecutor during the Obama administration — to join his legal defense against the House’s impeachment inquiry.

Both Bloomberg and CNN reported Tuesday that President Trump had enlisted Gowdy to join his team. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, Gowdy is not officially joining the White House staff. Gowdy was reportedly at the White House on Tuesday just before White House counsel sent out an eight-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) officially declaring it has no intention of complying with the House impeachment inquiry.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman tweeted Tuesday that Gowdy had not yet been made an offer by the White House.

While best-known for his role leading a House panel during the two-year long investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the attacks on the American post in Benghazi, Libya while she was head of State. The probe was widely regarded as a political stunt job to harm Clinton’s presidential campaign. Gowdy was also a member of the House Intelligence Committee when it first launched its probe into 2016 election interference.

Gowdy did not seek reelection last year in order to return to his previous work as a lawyer.

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