Trey Gowdy: “Thank you, Sheriff. I want to start by thanking you for your service as a law enforcement officer and in Congress. And I…”

“Thank you, Sheriff. I want to start by thanking you for your service as a law enforcement officer and in Congress. And I call you sheriff when I pass by you because I always believe in calling people by their highest title. And as much as it is wonderful, and I am sure the people in your family are proud of your service in the United States Congress, I am proudest of your willingness to sacrifice for the people of Washington as their sheriff. Kevin Carper was a uniform patrol officer with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. He was not a detective. He was not in management. He was just a regular police officer like the ones we see every day in our towns and cities. Kevin responded to a domestic violence call. Those who are unfamiliar with law enforcement have a tendency sometimes to refer to those as routine calls. There is nothing routine about a domestic violence call, and everyone in law enforcement knows it. Off of Airport Road in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Kevin and his partner arrived to find William Seich on the front porch of his small home pointing a large caliber gun at his wife, Judy. Judy was crouched down in the front yard, trying to protect herself, trying to shield herself behind a tree, and William was pointing the gun at her and, alternatively, pointing the gun at law enforcement who had just arrived on the scene. You know, Sheriff Reichert and Mr. Speaker, it all seems so easy in hindsight. Do you shoot? Do you pull the trigger? Is the gun real?…”