Trey Gowdy Biography
Trey Gowdy is an American anchor, former politician and former federal prosecutor working for FOX NEWS as a contributor and host for the Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy” at 7 pm EST and The Trey Gowdy Podcast on FOX News Audio. He joined the FOX news team in January 2019, after previously working as a member of the House of Representatives.
Trey Gowdy Career
Gowdy was raised in Spartanburg, where, during his youth, he had jobs delivering newspapers for the local daily and working at the community market. In 1982, he completed his high school education at Spartanburg High School, and he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Baylor University in 1986. During his time at Baylor, he was a member of Kappa Omega Tau. Subsequently, he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989. He commenced his legal career as a judicial law clerk for John P. Gardner on the South Carolina Court of Appeals. Followed by a position as a law clerk for federal judge G. Ross Anderson of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Subsequently, he entered private practice at Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough in Greenville, South Carolina, before assuming the role of assistant United States Attorney in April 1994. He garnered recognition with the Postal Inspector’s Award for successfully prosecuting J. Mark Allen, a suspect featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” In February 2000, he departed from the United States Attorney’s Office to pursue the position of 7th Circuit solicitor. Moreover, he secured victory over the incumbent Solicitor Holman Gossett in the Republican primary and ran unopposed in the subsequent general election. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2008, both times without opposition. Throughout his tenure, he made appearances in four episodes of the television program Forensic Files, as well as Dateline NBC and SCETV. Additionally, he handled a set of criminal cases, including seven death penalty cases.
During his tenure in Congress, he earned recognition as one of the GOP’s most versatile and skilled legal experts, drawing on his background as a federal prosecutor, according to Politico. While chairing the House Oversight Committee, he led high-profile investigations, a move criticized by Democrats who accused him of partisanship. Following Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, he defended the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which drew criticism from some Trump supporters. However, in a June 2018 hearing, he advised Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to conclude the special counsel investigation, a suggestion rejected by Rosenstein. Amid the 2011 United States debt ceiling crisis, he opposed Speaker John Boehner’s debt limit bill and voted against the final debt ceiling agreement.
He also opposed the 2011 defense authorization bill, expressing concerns about the potential detention of Americans without trial on national security grounds. Furthermore, he emphasized his commitment to constitutional principles, stating that he would support measures only if their sponsors could demonstrate the Constitution’s authority in a specific realm. Additionally, he served on the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He frequently addressed the House on various issues, ranging from Operation Fast and Furious to his endorsement of the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Recognized for his fiscal conservatism, he received the Defender of Economic Freedom award in 2012 from the Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative organization.
As a social conservative, he identifies as “pro-life plus,” advocating for a broader strategy beyond waiting for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade. Moreover, he signed the Contract from America, supporting initiatives to defund, repeal, and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, limit EPA regulations, reform the federal tax code, pass a balanced budget amendment, and end earmarks. In May 2018, he challenged President Trump’s claim of FBI spying on his 2016 presidential campaign, facing criticism from Trump allies. However, Speaker Paul Ryan supported his assessment in June 2018. During a July 2018 congressional hearing, he suggested impropriety on the part of FBI agent Peter Strzok, alleging bias in favor of Hillary Clinton and against Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
He pressed Strzok about a text message mentioning “We’ll stop Trump,” to which Strzok responded that it was an off-the-cuff, late-night remark reflecting his belief that Trump’s behavior was unacceptable. Strzok denied any intention of taking improper action to impact the electoral process and emphasized that the investigation into him played into “our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart.” On March 4, 2014, he presented the ENFORCE the Law Act of 2014 in the House. This legislation aimed to empower the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate to file a lawsuit against the President of the United States in a federal district court to obtain a declaratory judgment to clarify a federal law.
The bill’s proponents, primarily House Republicans, contended that such legislation was crucial as they believed the Obama Administration was neglecting its duty to enforce existing laws. Although H.R. 4138 successfully passed the House, it did not progress into law.
Trey Gowdy Salary
Gowdy earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Trey Gowdy Net Worth
Gowdy has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which he has earned through his career as a member of the House of Representatives.
Trey Gowdy Age
Gowdy was born on August 22, 1964, in Greenville, South Carolina United States. He is 59 years old as of 2023, and he celebrates his birthday on the 22th of August every year.
Trey Gowdy Height and Weight
Gowdy stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches tall however, information about his weight has not been disclosed.
Trey Gowdy Family
Gowdy is the son of Novalene (Evans) and Harold Watson “Hal” Gowdy Jr., MD. He also has three sisters: Laura, Caroline, and Elizabeth.
Trey Gowdy Wife and Children
Gowdy is married to Terri Dillard who was formerly crowned Miss Spartanburg and held the title of 2nd runner-up for Miss South Carolina. As of January 2019, she worked as a first-grade teacher in the Spartanburg School District. Together they have been blessed with two children, whom they named; Watson and Abigail. He resides in South Carolina together with his family.
Trey Gowdy Presidential Politics
In July 2015, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, suggested Gowdy as a potential nominee for the position of United States Attorney General in a Trump cabinet. However, in late December 2015, he endorsed Senator Marco Rubio for president, commending Rubio for being a rare elected official who fulfilled campaign promises. This endorsement strained Gowdy’s relationship with Trump’s campaign, with Trump criticizing his handling of the Benghazi issue. After Rubio withdrew from the presidential race in March 2016, Gowdy shifted his support to Trump, acknowledging that despite being a “Rubio guy,” he would back the presumptive Republican nominee. In May 2017, following the dismissal of FBI Director Comey, he was considered for the position but expressed his desire to remain in his congressional seat when discussing the matter with Attorney General Sessions.
On December 1, 2017, the Congressional Office of Compliance disclosed that during Gowdy’s tenure as chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, a former congressional aide settled with Congress and the House Employment Counsel. The aide claimed he was dismissed, in part, because he refused to focus his investigative work on Hillary Clinton (a charge later dropped) and because of his absence while fulfilling an Air Force Reserve assignment. He was implicated in the use of taxpayer funds to settle the claim against the government, as reported by The Washington Post.
Trey Gowdy FOX NEWS
While working for FOX NEWS Gowdy co-works alongside:
Social Media Platform
Gowdy is very active on his Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages. He has 5.2k followers on Twitter 1.3k followers on Instagram, and 1.4M followers on Facebook.