Benghazi-obsessed Trey Gowdy becomes 34th Republican to flee House ahead of midterms

Just two days after Republicans lost their ninth House Committee chairman since Trump’s election, yet another one announced he would not be seeking re-election.

And this one is a doozy.

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the Oversight Committee and former head of the Select Committee on Benghazi, is “leaving politics” and has declined to run for another term. He is the 34th GOP representative to do so this cycle.

This is a disastrous loss for House Republicans, as Gowdy was infamous for his iron-fisted control of committees to investigate the GOP’s political enemies and protect their friends.

He forced Hillary Clinton to testify for 11 hours straight on the Benghazi terrorist attack, in an attempt to preemptively discredit her before the 2016 election.

In fact, Gowdy was so zealous in his desperation to get Democrats on something that he fired an Air Force reservist helping his committee after he could not find dirt on Clinton — leading to a wrongful termination suit that ended up costing taxpayers $150,000.

He is currently leading a massive probe to try to validate Trump’s conspiracy theories about an FBI plot against him, all the while stonewalling investigations into Trump’s ties to Russia. Just days ago, he admitted on Fox News that’s exactly what his party does.

“Republicans are the best I’ve ever seen at taking good facts and overstating them, and therefore changing the narrative,” he said.

Unbelievably, Gowdy is actually the second House Oversight chairman the GOP has lost this term. He had been appointed to the role following the early resignation of Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who likewise spent his tenure on the committee flogging the Clinton email issue.

South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, which will now be open heading into November, is very red. Voters there backed Trump by a 25-point margin. Gowdy would be safe no matter what, and there are rumors that he is angling for the vacant seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

But regardless, Gowdy might be worried that hanging around in Congress is about to become a lot more miserable for Republicans, as polls indicate a blue wave on the horizon and a strong chance the GOP will lose its majority.

And that means the GOP will also lose control of committees and investigations, with Democrats far more eager to hold the current administration accountable than ginning up fake scandals about Clinton.

By the time the midterms roll around, Republicans may have few incumbents left to defend.