Washington (CNN)Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, said Wednesday he's retiring from Congress because he misses the justice system and prefers working in an environment "where facts matter."
"I like jobs where facts matter. I like jobs where fairness matters. I like jobs where, frankly, where the process matters. It's not just about winning and it's not just about reaching a result," Gowdy told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."
The former federal prosecutor who has served in Congress for seven years said he's "more at peace in jobs that reward fairness and are fact-centric than I am in Congress."
"So facts don't matter in Congress?" Camerota asked.
"I think what matters in Congress is finding a group and then validating or ratifying what they already believe," Gowdy replied.
"I like the art of persuasion. I like finding 12 people who have not already made up their minds and then may (if) the facts prevail. That's not where we are in politics. So maybe we'll get back there," said Gowdy, who first announced his retirement at the end of January.
He added, "I like it when facts matter and I don't see that in our current modern political environment."
Gowdy is just one of many Republicans heading for the exit ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
He was first elected in 2010 after ousting former GOP Rep. Bob Inglis and took over as chairman of the influential House Oversight Committee last year after Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz left Congress.
The South Carolina Republican also famously led the House probe into the 2012 Benghazi attack that left Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US nationals dead.
