South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy is retiring from Congress an unhappy man. He's even counting the number of trips to the airport he has left until he can leave DC for good.

"[T]o the extent men judge themselves based on what they do for a living, I don't have a lot to show for the last seven years," the departing Congressman told VICE News.

Among the most prominent members to be elected as part of the Tea Party wave in 2010, Gowdy gained national notoriety as a fiercely partisan interrogator of Hillary Clinton following the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

He said he doesn't relish the reputation, or think it's justified. And it's helped drive him out of Congress.

But at least he made some friends along the way.

Watch VICE News' Charlottesville report here - http://bit.ly/2wwQts8

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