Trey Gowdy’s decision to leave the United States Congress received mixed feelings with many people blaming his exit on his strained relations with Donald Trump. Nevertheless, the American attorney, politician, and former federal prosecutor maintained that his work as a Congressman was done.
Gowdy who is also a TV news personality was South Carolina’s 4th congressional district at the U.S. Representative, from 2011 to 2019. He is, however, best known for playing a leading role in most decisions taken in Congress. Aside from his professional career, Gowdy’s name still draws attention for some obvious reasons. His unique hair cut may be one of them. To know more about the life of the congressman, read on to enjoy some interesting facts.
Who Is Trey Gowdy And Why Is He So Popular?
The American attorney was born in Greenville, South Carolina as Harold Watson Trey Gowdy III. He is the son of Harold Watson “Hal” Gowdy, Jr, MD. and Novalena who had him on August 22, 1964, and raised him in Spartanburg, a city in South Carolina. While growing up, Gowdy was a newspaper deliverer and a worker at a local community market. He attended Spartanburg High School and graduated in 1982 before moving to Baylor University for his Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Trey also went to the University of South Carolina where he received his Juris Doctor.
Trey Gowdy began his legal career as a clerk at both the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the U.S District Court for South Carolina district. After a number of years in practice, he was in April 1994 appointed as Assistant United States Attorney. He, received his first award, the Postal Inspector’s Award, for successfully leading the prosecution of the “America’s Most Wanted” suspects, J. Mark Allen. In February 2000, Trey ran for the office of the 7th Circuit Solicitor and defeated Holman Gossett, the incumbent Solicitor and that began his political career. Trey maintained his position as the 7th circuit Solicitor in 2004 and 2008 as he was re-elected unopposed.
In 2010, he pushed further for a higher position. By June 2010, he was on his way to Congress after defeating the incumbent Republican Congressman Bob Inglis. With over twenty-five years of public service and over seven years of service at South Carolina’s 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, Gowdy has gathered valuable experience as well as reputation, including a mouth-watering net worth to take care of himself.
All through his tenure as a Congressman, Gowdy always had a way of making remarkable impacts in every position he takes. His impact has been largely felt particularly in his representation of South Carolina’s 4th congressional district. A frequent speaker on the House floor, Gowdy takes up matters that attract public attention- from backing reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to Operation Fast and Furious.
However, his popularity increased further as a result of his background as a federal prosecutor as well s his involvement in several high-profile government investigations. One of such is his role in the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election that brought in Donald Trump as America’s 45th president.
Over the years, Trey sponsored about eleven bills that include the H.R. 6620 bill and the H.R. 2076 bill, both of which were signed into law in 2013 on January 10 and January 14 respectively.
In May 2018, he received a severe backlash from most Trump allies for challenging his conspiracy theory about the FBI spied on his 2016 presidential campaign. Even when he continuously found himself on Trump’s bad side for some obvious reasons, his fans still consider him an intelligent and passionate leader who always stands up for ordinary people. No wonder why he is considered the 18th most popular Republican.
Here’s Why He Left Politics
The sagacious politician and legal luminary — Trey Gowdy had in the early months of 2018, announced his decision to retire from Congress and, in fact, leave politics entirely.
Gowdy who is the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman and the tenth committee chairman to decide against re-election in 2018, related his desire to return to his former career in South Carolina where he considers himself “most successful”.
Among his reasons for vacating his seat in Congress, Gowdy said he thinks he does not belong in the House and that he believes in fairness, facts, and processes unlike the usual win-win ideology in politics. He believes his skills are better utilized in the courtroom than in Congress. “I enjoy our justice system more than our political system,” he said.
Although several other reasons have been given as to why he chooses to leave politics to return to the justice system in South Carolina, Gowdy would be joining dozens of other GOP lawmakers who would not be returning for a fresh tenure.
How Rich Is The Former Republican House Member?
As one former congressman, federal prosecutor, and former solicitor, Trey has served his time in Washington and now serving in private practice. For someone of his standing in American politics, one would easily regard the famous Republican House member as a wealthy man. On the contrary, his net worth is nowhere close to what most young celebrities take home. Trey Gowdy’s net worth is estimated at $500,000, his salary as a congressman was around $174,000.
While details of his investments and other private businesses are not made public, there is no doubt he is living out his life with his family. Meanwhile, in 2018, Forbes named Trey among the 53 lawmakers with the highest student loan debt. He topped the list with about $150,000 debt.
Trey Gowdy’s Family Details
The South Carolina Republican is happily married to Terri (née Dillard) Gowdy who is a Teacher’s Aide in the Spartanburg School District. She was also a former Miss Spartanburg and second runner up for Miss South Carolina. The couple got reportedly married in 1989 and they are blessed with two children, Watson, and Abigail.
Trey Gowdy’s son Watson was involved in a piece of bogus news on social media, on May 20, 2017. The news hoax which went viral on several blogs and social media platforms says that Gowdy’s 8-year-old son was found dead in a dumpster in Washington. The news was first carried by TheLastLineOfDefense.org, and it had “Worse than Hitler! Trey Gowdy’s son found in a Dumpster in D.C.! Murders are being questioned!” as its headline. The post went on to say that the boy disappeared from the Capitol building but was later found in a garbage bin close to Trump-owned hotel. Two male suspects, Hamil Lalahafa and Sanjay Gemtrapa were named to be questioned on the matter but that they later escaped from the U.S. Marshals. So far the news has been flagged as Fake News by social media platforms like Facebook as Gowdy and his family, including his son Watson, are doing well.
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His Life Outside Politics: What Is Trey Gowdy Doing Now?
Ever since he announced his unwillingness to return to the House in 2018, Trey has continued to pursue his legal career. He first joined a Columbia-based U.S law firm and lobby group Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and was a major Fox contributor before he announced his intention to join Trump’s legal team in October 2019. His decision to take a new role cost him his job with FOX as the company officially terminated his contract. While no particular reason was given for the job termination, some people believed that his new role as Trump’s representative could pose a conflict of interest with his role as a Fox contributor.
Meanwhile, his proposed move to join Trump’s lawyers was later truncated over concerns that he would be acting in violation of anti-lobbying.
