Gowdy, Scott answer pre-screened questions at telephone town hall Wednesday

U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy of Spartanburg repeated his call Wednesday for FBI Director James Comey to identify and prosecute whoever leaked classified information about the Russia-Trump investigation.

“Leaking felonious material is a crime,” Gowdy said. “Folks may wish it weren’t against the law, but it is a 10-year felony to unlawfully disseminate classified information. You or I would go to jail if we did it … they need to be held accountable.”

Gowdy’s remarks came during a telephone town hall with constituents that lasted 1½ hours. He was joined by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott in Gowdy’s Washington, D.C., office.

The two fielded pre-screened questions from 12 people out of nearly 200 who registered through Gowdy’s website. Topics ranged from health care, Russia and Social Security to schools, terrorism and the high cost of medications.

At a hearing earlier this week, Gowdy, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, tried to get Comey to say whether he'd punish those who leaked classified information.

During the town hall, a caller asked Gowdy if he would also punish news outlets for publishing or airing stories based on the leaked material. Gowdy said he wouldn't.

“Leaks to me are a moral issue,” Gowdy said. “Dissemination of classified information is not a leak. It’s a crime. I don’t want reporters to go to jail. We need a free and robust press — a press free to speak truth to power, shine the hot white light of scrutiny on all of us.”

Another caller asked whether the lawmakers think the House GOP health bill will pass. A vote could come this week.

“I don’t know that anyone knows,” said Gowdy, who did not say how he will vote. “I would need a Ouija board to determine that.”

Both Gowdy and Scott said the cost of health care for individuals and families has gone up significantly under Obamacare.

“We still have millions of Americans without health insurance, and costs keep going up,” Gowdy said.

One caller asked what could be done to bring down the high cost of prescription drugs.

Gowdy said he and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont are working with President Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, on how to lower costs.

Gowdy said competition and "easing regulatory burdens if those burdens don't make sense" help reduce costs.

“I want to err on the side of safety, always,” Gowdy said. “But when you can get drugs from other countries (of equal quality) cheaper than in the United States, something is wrong.”

One caller asked if Congress has any plans to eliminate Social Security.

“No, it is not going away,” Gowdy said. “That is a promise. It is a contract between the government and the citizenry. The best way to dissolve a republic is to break promises.”

The town hall was scheduled for one hour, but Gowdy and Scott extended it by a half-hour to answer more questions.

Earlier this month, about 20 protesters demanded Gowdy meet with constituents in a face-to-face town hall.

Tony Taylor, who helped organize the protest, said the telephone town hall wasn't sufficient.

“He can more or less avoid (us), he can pick and choose the issues he wants to confront (over the phone). We think he should have a town hall and meet with his constituents.”

Gowdy’s spokeswoman, Amanda Gonzalez, said Gowdy holds monthly meetings with constituents in his office in Greenville or Spartanburg.

“These are what we call “Fourth in Focus” meetings, which he has been doing since he was first elected,” Gonzalez said.

Follow Bob Montgomery on Twitter@bmontgomeryshj

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Gowdy, Scott answer pre-screened questions at telephone town hall Wednesday."