WASHINGTON – Rep. Trey Gowdy was absent from Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s closed-door testimony before the House Benghazi Committee, even as he complained to the mainstream media that criticisms of his work are making his life miserable.

A House Benghazi Committee spokesperson told Breitbart News that Gowdy “wasn’t able to make it” because he was speaking to a law enforcement group in his home state when Abedin testified before the Committee Friday. Hillary Clinton will testify next, on Thursday, in a hearing that the Committee is downplaying but which, of course, is massively important.

The South Carolina Police Chiefs Association convention was held this past weekend at the Marriott Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Gowdy was one of a handful of prominent Committee names to miss the hearing, which occurred during a congressional recess, when lawmakers often return to their home districts.

“Chairman Gowdy is not able to make every interview. But he does talk with the staff before each interview to go over the questions to be asked, and he trusts his colleagues and staff to then ask substantive investigatory questions,” a spokesperson from Gowdy’s office told Breitbart News.

Meanwhile, Gowdy was busy telling Politico that he’s been miserable in the midst of attacks from the media, from a fired former staffer, and from fellow Republican Rep. Richard Hanna, who accused his committee of being politicized.

“I would say in some ways these have been among the worst weeks of my life,” Gowdy told Politico. “Attacks on your character, attacks on your motives, are 1,000-times worse than anything you can do to anybody physically — at least it is for me.”

Gowdy shot back Sunday at Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings for falsely claiming that Gowdy redacted portions of a Clinton email himself to make it look like it had been classified. Gowdy also told Republicans who are not on his committee to “shut up” with their criticisms.

Gowdy’s prosecution of the Benghazi investigation is the most important assignment of his legal and political career. Flubbing the Clinton inquiry would be a massive disappointment for interested Americans everywhere.

He has three days left to focus.