Gowdy has only been a U.S. rep since 2011. Prior to that he was an attorney/prosecutor.

Gowdy has butted heads with John Boehner. There are a few positions he's taken that are not exactly in line with the Republican party as a whole, though he's generally viewed as very conservative. I don't agree with all his views, but the more I see him the more I like him.

On the "but this happened during the Bush years"....totally irrelevant. When someone says that, they are saying, "well, since Bush did it, the new administration can do it as well". Rubbishy, bloody rubbish. Remember, this president campaigned on a change from the corruption of the prior administration - that was a theme that resonated very deeply. And so when he winds up in the same situation, he deserves the characterization of hypocrisy.

On "subset of emails that might contain a gem". There have already been emails between Democratic Senators (including the office of Elijah Cummings, no less), the Justice Department, and the Federal Election Commission and the IRS , that have surfaced from FOIA requests. They are smoking guns. That is why the Committee is so intent on reading all of the emails that Lerner and others sent OUTSIDE the Agency. The gem has already been produced. It's a matter of finding just how many, who else was involved, and whether Lerner was indeed directed by the IRS Chief Counsel (and there is evidence she was) as well as the White House.