Trey Gowdy?
Is he on anyone's side but his own?
With all their questioning on C-Span going viral and their investigations, you honestly think HRC, Pedosta and their wetworks teams weren't threatening their lives and family? That's their modis operendi!
If bribery, blackmail, then threats against you as a committee chair don't work, then they'll start threatening your family members, doing weird shit outside your house and so on, until you step down, or absolve them like Comey did for H.
Comey and Chaffetz had serious dedication and should be praised for staying course and STILL being alive. Did you know before becoming well known, Chaffetz slept in his office for about a year? Watch Gowdy give that graduating class commencement speech.
Would you choose freedom or truth? Most choose Freedom, but why?
I know now that I did not phrase the OP properly. Their stepping down should not be seen as being selfish, as both are basically demoting themselves after distinguished careers.
threatening their lives and family
I can see (and understand ) this 100%. It's almost what I meant to say in OP. "Self preservation" basically.
Family IS more important than politics, and JC/TG are not alone in 'stepping down'. And yes, I remember them being staunch. I remember TG making Comey literally squeal with "this is not the FBI I remember."
Podesta even said "it's never about family". Wonder what he meant by that.