Former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) is no longer a contributor for Fox News, a spokesperson for the network confirmed on Wednesday.
Gowdy no longer holds a position as a Fox News contributor — a role he took on after retiring from Congress this year.
“Trey Gowdy has been terminated and is no longer a contributor,” a Fox News spokesperson told the Hill on Wednesday.
The development follows reports of the former House Oversight Committee chairman joining President Trump’s legal team in the battle against the House Democrats’ partisan-fueled impeachment efforts. While initially speculatory, the New York Post reports that Gowdy signed on as part of the president’s outside legal counsel.
Gowdy’s addition follows a series of back-and-forth between the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The White House sent a letter — penned by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone — to the speaker, informing her that the executive branch will not comply with the impeachment probe, arguing that the inquiry itself lacks “any legitimate constitutional foundation, any pretense of fairness, or even the most elementary due process protections.”
“Because participating in this inquiry under the current unconstitutional posture would inflict lasting institutional harm on the Executive Branch and lasting damage to the separation of powers, you have left the President no choice,” the letter read.
“Consistent with the duties of the President of the United States, and in particular his obligation to preserve the rights of future occupants of his office, President Trump cannot permit his Administration to participate in this partisan inquiry under these circumstances,” it added.
Pelosi responded, calling the letter “manifestly wrong” and “another unlawful attempt to hide the facts of the Trump Administration’s brazen efforts to pressure foreign powers to intervene in the 2020 elections.”
“Despite the White House’s stonewalling, we see a growing body of evidence that shows that President Trump abused his office and violated his oath to ‘protect, preserve and defend the Constitution,” she claimed.
“Mr. President, you are not above the law. You will be held accountable,” the speaker added.
Internal polling suggests that pursuing impeachment will hurt Democrats in vulnerable congressional districts, as the majority of voters in those districts do not view Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky an “impeachable offense.” Despite that, Democrats in the House are largely using the conversation as a basis for the impeachment inquiry.