WATCH: Oversight chair ‘losing confidence’ in Mueller’s team

by Molly K. Hooper - 12/13/17 5:05 PM ET

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) says he is still confident in special counsel Robert Muller but is starting to lose faith in his team of investigators.

“I have confidence in Robert Mueller,” Gowdy, a former prosecutor, told reporters Wednesday. “I am increasingly losing confidence in the people that are around him and that I say that frankly with a broken heart.”

Gowdy pointed to recent revelations of anti-Trump text messages by senior FBI agent Peter Strzok as an example of bias in the investigation.

{mosads}Strzok was removed from his assignment this week after Mueller learned of the texts. He has since become a target for GOP critics of the Russia investigation, who say it’s tainted by bias against Trump.

“This, what this agent wrote, is unlike anything I have ever seen … about someone that he is supposed to be investigating I’ve never seen it before,” Gowdy said.

“I defended Robert Mueller — people would consider me to be biased towards the Department of Justice,” Gowdy said.

However, Gowdy continued by adding that it’s difficult to defend Mueller’s investigation, citing past donations to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton by some members of Mueller’s team and the anti-Trump comments.

Tags Mueller investigation