GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy will replace Jason Chaffetz as House Oversight Committee chair

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 8 June 2017

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) is poised to become the next chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Republican Steering Committee decided Thursday. Gowdy will replace outgoing chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who is cutting short his term in Congress and resigning at the end of June.

If Gowdy is confirmed by the full GOP conference, he would head up the House's investigation into Trump's ties to Russian election meddling and the president's decision in May to abruptly fire FBI Director James Comey. Gowdy, who is known for leading the House's investigation into the Benghazi attack in 2012, has already been involved in the House Intelligence Committee's investigation of Russia's meddling in the U.S. presidential election.