Trey Gowdy, who headed the Benghazi investigation for more than 2 years, claims Mueller is taking too long

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) went on a tirade Thursday during a hearing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray, demanding that "whatever" has been uncovered in the probe into links between the Trump campaign and Russia, "finish it the hell up, because this country is being torn apart."

Gowdy is hardly the only Republican to have expressed frustration with how long Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is taking — his probe is now in its second year — but the South Carolina lawmaker is perhaps the least justified in complaining about it. As many have pointed out, Gowdy chaired the House Select Committee on Benghazi, an investigation that lasted more than two and a half years and resulted in no criminal indictments.

By comparison, Mueller in 13 months has "issued more than 100 criminal counts against 20 people and three companies," The New York Times reports. "Of the 20 people, five — including three Trump associates — have pleaded guilty. Fourteen are Russians accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election." Watch the pot call the kettle black below. Jeva Lange

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up