Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy (S.C.) said Wednesday that he is leaving politics and will return to work in the justice system.
Gowdy tweeted out his announcement and attached a picture of written statement.
"I will not be filing for re-election to Congress nor seeking any other political or elected office," Gowdy said in his statement. "Instead I will be returning to the justice system."
Gowdy, who is completing his fourth term in Congress, said he thinks the skills he possesses are better suited for a courtroom, and ultimately, he enjoys the judicial system more than the political system.
The congressman, a lawyer by training, made his announcement with what he thinks will give the men and women of South Carolina enough time to decide if they would want to run for his seat.
In the statement, Gowdy thanked his family, colleagues, and people of South Carolina for their support and confidence in him as a he served in the elected position.
"There is a time to start and a time to end. There is a time to come and a time to go," Gowdy said, paraphrasing a biblical verse from the book of Ecclesiastes. "This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system.
There is a time to come and a time to go. This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system. Full statement here → pic.twitter.com/7I8AApqvs1
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) January 31, 2018