Washington, DC – Trey Gowdy today cancelled his appearance at a Texas fundraiser for Marco Rubio where he would use his position as Chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi to fundraise for Rubio and the Republican Party.
From Salon:
“Unfortunately for Rubio and the Harlans, the “special guest,” chair of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, seems to have backed out of the gig at the last minute:
Patrick Svitek[email protected] : .@CorrectRecord hits @TGowdySC, who’s attending @marcorubiofundraiser today in Dallas, for “using his position” to raise $ for 2016ers. [September 22, 2015 1:35 p.m. EDT]
Patrick Svitek[email protected] : Update: @TGowdySC is no longer able to attend @MarcoRubio‘s fundraiser today in Dallas, according to Gowdy’s office. [September 22, 2015 1:59 p.m. EDT]”
“Cancelling one event is not enough – Gowdy should withdraw from all fundraising where he uses the deaths of four Americans to raise money for the Republican Party and apologize for his abuse of his position – otherwise he must terminate his taxpayer-funded investigation because it is simply a campaign tool of the GOP,” said Adrienne Watson of Correct The Record.
ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISERS:
November 8th in Daytona Beach, FL
Fundraiser for Volusia County Republicans
http://fctpcommunity.org/events/congressman-trey-gwody-lincoln-dinner
September 25 in Naperville, IL
Fundraiser for Peter Roskam
http://www.cookrepublicanparty.com/congressman_peter_roskam_fall_fundraiser_featuring_congressman_trey_gowdy
Here are examples of Gowdy’s position on the Benghazi Committee being used to fundraise for Republicans:
Trey Gowdy discussed Benghazi at a barbecue fundraiser for Rep. Mick Mulvaney. “Gowdy addressed the issue of ‘phony scandals,’ in which the government is describing the scandals surrounding the IRS and NSA as fake, or phony. Referring to the scandal surrounding the murders of four American citizens in the Benghazi attacks, Gowdy said this is not the case. ‘It is a scandal,’ he said. ‘But it is not a phony scandal.’ Gowdy said these scandals begin to chip away at the public’s trust in their government. ‘There is nothing phony about (citizens) not trusting the people they put in positions of leadership,’ he said. Gowdy urged readers to hold their representatives accountable.” [“Campaign barbecue fundraiser held at city of light; Mulvaney, Gowdy discuss issues,” Lancaster News, 9/1/13]
The day after Trey Gowdy was chosen to head the Select Committee, the NRCC began a fundraising campaign urging Republicans to “stand with Congressman Trey Gowdy.” “The American people deserve to know why the security situation in Benghazi was so inadequate, what actually happened during the government’s response to the attack on our embassy, and the White House’s attempt to spin the issue to, and hide the facts from, the public. By making sure the American people know all the facts, we can hold the White House accountable and determine what really happened in Benghazi. Stand with Congressman Trey Gowdy, the Benghazi Select Committee, and House Republicans as we fight for the truth about what happened with the Benghazi terrorist attack: [Box to contribute].” [NRCC, 5/6/14]
An NRCC fundraising email sent the day after Trey Gowdy was chosen to head the Select Committee encouraged Republicans to donate and become “Benghazi Watchdogs.” “An NRCC email sent Wednesday morning included a link to ‘become a Benghazi watchdog’ – which led to a page where supporters can donate cash. A separate website called ‘BenghaziWatchdogs.com’ still contains a link encouraging visitors to ‘help fight liberals by donating today.’” [NBC News, 5/8/15; NRCC; accessed 9/15/15]
Trey Gowdy planned to appear at a Virginia GOP fundraiser called “Beyond Benghazi.” “Gowdy is scheduled to be the featured guest at a fundraising event March 19 for the Republican Party of Virginia, entitled, ‘Beyond Benghazi,’ featuring a screening and an interview of Gowdy, moderated by Rep. Morgan Griffith. The RPV is charging $75 but for $5,000, a donor can be a co-chair.” [National Review, 3/9/15]
Fundraiser was cancelled after Trey Gowdy pulled out. “In May, just after he was picked to lead the House’s select committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi attacks, Rep. Trey Gowdy said he would not raise money off of the assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. But it was revealed Monday that he was scheduled to help another group raise funds at an event called ‘Beyond Benghazi.’ By the day’s end, Gowdy had pulled out and the event was canceled.” [Washington Post, 3/9/15]
An advertisement from Stop Hillary PAC used Chairman Gowdy’s picture and name to encourage backers sign a pledge supporting the Select Committee and donate to the group. A Stop Hillary Pac advertisement asks Republicans sign a pledge to “Support Trey Gowdy & Continue the Select Committee on Benghazi. I support and uphold the Benghazi Select Committee Chairman, Congressman Trey Gowdy, in his pursuit of the truth and justice for all those involved.” After signing the pledge, supporters are led to a contribution page to “Support Trey Gowdy” and “stand up to these smokescreens and continue to expose Hillary for what she did and quite frankly, did NOT do” by donating in increments up to $5,000, or any other preferred dollar amount. [Stop Hillary PAC advertisement, stophillarypac.org, accessed 4/30/15; Stop Hillary Pac Fundraising page, accessed 9/15/15]
As the Featured Speaker at the 2015 National Pachyderm Convention, Trey Gowdy praised Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s support of his Benghazi investigation by threatening to withhold State Department Funding. In this latest incident, however, Gowdy was billed as the ‘Featured Speaker’ at the 2015 National Pachyderm Convention. The National Federation of Pachyderm Clubs describes itself as ‘one of the most influential and most recognized political clubs in the nation’ and as ‘an official Allied Organization of the RNC.” According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “In turn, Gowdy praised Fleischmann, who serves on the Appropriations Committee that he said helped the Benghazi probe by threatening to withhold State Department funding if the agency didn’t comply with the committee’s subpoenas. ‘If you want to provide oversight and get the attention of the executive branch, step on the air hose called appropriations,’ Gowdy said. ‘We tried public shame, threats, subpoenas and letters, but they didn’t work. What worked is when we partnered with our friends on Appropriations and let the State Department and other agencies know that your money will be cut if you do not provide us with documents.” [Cummings Responds to Continued Republican Benghazi Fundraising, 7/8/15; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/7/15]
At the National Pachyderm Convention alongside Trey Gowdy, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann warned “Hillary Clinton or any other lefty out there” that Gowdy “is going to get you.” “U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 along with Gowdy and recruited him to come to the two-day Pachyderm convention, called the South Carolina Republican ‘a standout’ who is ‘modest, honest and principled.’ ‘Whether you are Hillary Clinton or any other lefty out there, you better beware because Trey Gowdy is out there and he is going to get you,’ Fleischmann told the GOP gathering.’’ [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/7/15]