Fox News host Trey Gowdy will violate supposed network policy by speaking at three GOP fundraisers
Written by Eric Hananoki
Published
Updated
Fox News host Trey Gowdy is scheduled to speak at three upcoming Republican Party fundraisers, a violation of the network’s supposed policy.
In 2018, Fox News claimed that it “does not condone any talent participating in campaign events.” That policy has been inconsistently enforced, with some network personalities withdrawing from Republican fundraisers while others have continued to attend.
Gowdy is a Fox News contributor and the host of Fox News Audio’s The Trey Gowdy Podcast. He was previously a Republican member of Congress from South Carolina. Fox News has used Gowdy as one of its rotating hosts for its 7 p.m. EST hour as it looks for a permanent host, and he is set to begin his second stint this week.
Gowdy is also scheduled to appear at three Republican fundraisers in the next few months:
- Gowdy will speak at an April 8 fundraiser for the Harris County Republican Party in Texas. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will also speak at the event. Tickets start at $150.
- Gowdy will keynote an April 16 fundraiser for the Mahoning County Republican Party in Ohio. Gowdy, who is described in an invite for the event as a Fox News host, is appearing alongside Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has a history of anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBTQ remarks. Tickets for the event are $125.
- Gowdy will keynote a May 1 fundraiser for the Yakima County Republican Central Committee in Washington. Tickets for the event start at $100. Update (6/30/21): The Yakima GOP states that the event has been moved to September 11, 2021, and it is “working very hard to bring Trey Gowdy to Yakima.”
As a Fox News employee, Gowdy also keynoted a June 7, 2019, fundraiser for the Republican Party of Arkansas and a September 10, 2020, fundraiser for the Comal County Republican Party in Texas.
Gowdy briefly left Fox News in October 2019 when he was announced as a new member of former President Donald Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment. That plan ultimately fell apart, and Gowdy rejoined the network in December 2019.