Trey Gowdy again warned his former GOP colleagues not to raise expectations too high for two Justice Department investigations into possible wrongdoing during the Russia investigation.
With some Republicans now talking about the prospect of jail time, even before there are any indictments, Gowdy said they are setting themselves up for disappointment.
“I will caution my Republican friends, again, if the only thing that is going to satisfy you is the indictment of certain high-level officials, you may wind up being disappointed. I have higher expectations for government than just narrowly avoiding indictment,” the former South Carolina congressman said Thursday on Fox News.
Gowdy was discussing the Justice Department review of the origins of the Russia investigation and DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s inquiry into alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The interview also came after it was revealed the Justice Department rejected former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s appeal to avoid criminal charges for lying to federal agents, paving the way for a formal indictment.
A number of his former GOP colleagues have hyped up the two investigations in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, Rep. Jim Jordan said he expects Horowitz to report that all four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants against one-time Trump campaign aide Carter Page were illegally obtained. The Ohio Republican also said the question he is most asked is, “‘When is somebody going to jail for wrongdoing that took place in the Trump-Russia investigation or even the Clinton investigation?'”
Rep. Mark Meadows, a lead GOP investigator in Congress, said he believes Barr and Horowitz are doing a “good job” and hopes for accountability, naming Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson and former FBI officials James Comey, McCabe, and Peter Strzok.
“If people do not go to jail, and this is all about just talking and rhetoric and people are not held accountable, the American people will be disillusioned and say, ‘Enough is enough,'” Meadows said.
Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, previously advised his GOP friends to temper their expectations back in July.
“Republicans usually set the bar so high that when we don’t meet it, the media narrative then becomes Republicans don’t even own their promises. Just promise a fair investigation that goes wherever the facts take us,” he said at the time.
Gowdy told host Martha MacCallum on Thursday what he believes Barr would also strike a balanced tone on her show, saying, “I think Bill Barr would tell you the same thing, Martha, if he was on the show, there is a difference between doing a really lousy job, there’s a difference between not meeting anyone’s expectations for public service and then being indicted.”
