Rep. Trey Gowdy: Almost anything is fair in politics
On 'Your World,' congressman says he will work for the Republican nominee
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," January 12, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: We have got Congressman Trey Gowdy with us right now. He's a big backer of Marco Rubio.
Yet, Congressman, I don't believe the senator is going to be in the well of the House tonight for the president's remarks. Does that bother you at any level?
REP. TREY GOWDY, R-S.C.: Well, the last I heard, he was going to be there for the State of the Union.
But I can assure you, Neil, it won't bother me either way.
CAVUTO: OK. Good. Then I'm wrong. OK. I'm sorry.
GOWDY: No, no, no, no, no. I'm more likely to be wrong. But it won't bother me whether he's there or not.
CAVUTO: No, I will go with you.
All right, so you have known the dust-up this has created with the senator about missed votes and all that. This happened to Senator Obama. They didn't make nearly the extent of it when he was running for president and missed far more votes, John Kennedy, to, when he was running as the senator for president in 1960.
Be that as it may, some of his Republican rivals are champing at the bit to point that out. What do you make of that?
GOWDY: Well, I think almost anything is fair in politics. That's what I have learned. I think Marco would tell you he is running to make those votes consequential.
I think one of the criticisms that is unfair, Neil, would be the intelligence briefings that Governor Bush says he's missed. You read -- you learn more watching your show or reading The New York Times than you do going to these so-called intelligence briefings.
Marco is on Senate Intel. So, he knows the state of the world better than any of his Senate colleagues who are not on Senate Intel and certainly better than the other candidates. So, the fact that he may missed some pomp and circumstance public meeting, where none of us learn anything, doesn't bother me at all.
CAVUTO: All right. And, by the way, you are correct, and I was wrong, Congressman. The senator will be there.
Senator Cruz will not be there. Now, maybe there's where the confusion -- sir, I apologize.
Senator Cruz has recently been coming under fire here as to whether he's a natural-born American citizen. He is considered an American citizen because his American mother gave birth to him in Canada. But you know the drill. By his definition and maybe others, he's a citizen.
Donald Trump had his doubts. We're going to relay that later on in a conversation I had with Mr. Trump. Do you have any concerns? Many in your party have said, well, this is a legitimate issue. Do you think it's a legitimate issue?
GOWDY: It may have been a legitimate issue 100 years ago when the Supreme Court weighed in on it, but, me, it is settled law, to the extent anything can be settled by the Supreme Court.
If you are the child of an American citizen, regardless of where you're born, you're an American citizen. And his mother was an American citizen. I didn't think it was much of an issue with the president when people raised it eight years ago. I don't think it's an issue now.
CAVUTO: OK, so, when you look at this race and how it's going, I know you support Senator Rubio, but all the polls continue, and many would tell you surprisingly so, that Donald Trump is on top.
I will ask you what I have asked a number of other powerful Republicans and influential figures in the party. Could you back Donald Trump if he were indeed your party's nominee for president?
GOWDY: Oh, absolutely.
I'm going to vote for the Republican nominee. I'm going to work for the Republican nominee, because anyone on our side is better than anyone on their side. And if I have learned anything in the last five years, Neil, I have learned that if you want to the fundamentally change the direction of the country, you have to have the executive branch, you have to have the White House.
So, I am going to work, to the extent they will have me, and do everything I can to elect the Republican, no matter who he or she is.
CAVUTO: All right, Congressman, thank you very much. Good seeing you.
GOWDY: Yes, sir. You, too. Thank you.
CAVUTO: From the fine state of South Carolina. It is beautiful here in Charleston, Congressman, as you know quite well. Thank you very, very much. All right.
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