Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Sunday that Republicans should curb their criticisms of the investigation into Russian election meddling and give special counsel Robert Mueller “a chance to do his job.”
“I would encourage my Republican friends, give the guy a chance to do his job. The result will be known by the facts, by what he uncovers,” Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“The personalities involved are much less important to me than the underlying facts,” he added. “So, I would say give the guy a chance to do his job.”
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Mueller was appointed in May to investigate Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. His appointment came shortly after President Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, who was previously in charge of the probe.
The president, however, has called the special counsel’s investigation a political “witch hunt” and some Republicans have suggested that Mueller’s relationship with Comey constitutes a conflict of interest and that he should be removed.
But Gowdy said on Sunday that nothing in Mueller’s record suggests that he is incapable of conducting the Russia investigation in a fair manner. The South Carolina Republican pointing to Mueller’s record as a former FBI director and U.S. attorney as evidence that he is a “pretty apolitical guy.”
“I think Bob Mueller has a really distinguished career of service to our country,” he said. “I don’t think any of your viewers can think of a single thing he did as the FBI director that calls them to have a lack of confidence in him.”
“I think most of your viewers have to be reminded that he actually was the FBI director or that he actually was a U.S. attorney, because he’s a pretty apolitical guy.”