Rep. Mark Meadows, who led a staunch conservative faction in Congress and has been one of President Trump’s biggest defenders, announced Thursday that he would retire at the end of his term.
The announcement from Mr. Meadows, 60, sent shock waves across Republican circles from Washington to his home state North Carolina, while stirring glee among Democrats eyeing his House seat.
He said he could leave proud of what he had accomplished in Congress.
“There have been lots of gratifying moments, but certainly one of the biggest joys is getting to see people that you represent start to have renewed hope in the fact that Washington, D.C., hasn’t forgotten them,” Mr. Meadows told The Washington Times.
Mr. Meadows hasn’t said what his plans are post-retirement. He could be tapped to help the president inext year, perhaps on the campaign or in the White House.
Mr. Meadows declined to give details about his plans, calling the discussion “premature.”
He said his plan as of now is to stay in Congress through the end of his term in 2020.
“Some of our focus will be on helping the president get his agenda legislatively done here, getting him reelected,” he told The Times. “If there are other priorities and other opportunities, I’ll have to weigh those as they come in.”
Mr. Meadows’ retirement marks the 25th House Republican to decide not to run for reelection — one fewer than in 2018.
The DCCC touted Mr. Meadows’ upcoming departure as a sign of waning GOP morale in the minority — a claim he confidently dismissed.
“My seat will be a Republican,” he said. “And so, I think reading anything into my decision, other than it was the time and the season for me to exit, would be misdirected.”
Mr. Meadows said he hopes his legacy will be carried on in the House Freedom Caucus, which he helped found in 2015 and headed from 2017 to 2019.
The group of conservative hardliners have a reputation for rebelling against House Republican leadership and the president on certain issues, while also being some of their fiercest advocates.
Under Mr. Meadow’s leadership, the Freedom Caucus posed a challenge to GOP leaders when the party had the majority, fracturing the party when moderate Republicans were willing to make deals on spending or immigration reform.
With Republicans in the minority since last year, the conference has unified, particularly in defending Mr. Trump against the Democrats’ impeachment case.
Mr. Meadows, a close ally of the president, announced his retirement shortly after House Democrats impeached Mr. Trump in a party-line vote Wednesday night.
He had been front and center in arguing the case against impeachment throughout the 12 weeks of closed-door impeachment inquiry interviews and public hearings that led to the vote.
“Few members of Congress have had the impact on the House of Representatives that Mark Meadows has had this past decade. I will miss his presence in Congress,” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican and current chairman of the Freedom Caucus.
Mr. Meadows said a handful of moments from his time in Congress will stay with him forever, from seeing the American embassy moved to Jerusalem and assisting Meriam Ibrahim, a Christian Sudanese mother, escape her death sentence to simply interacting with his constituents back home.
“Pinning medals on military men and women that have served and didn’t get the honor where honor was due and going back and being able to do that for constituents is a big honor and humbling experience,” he said.
The North Carolina conservative shared a surprisingly close friendship with the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
“He had a smile that would consume his whole face, you know that, but he also had eyes that would pierce through anybody that was standing in his way,” Mr. Meadows said in a highly emotional tribute for the late lawmaker in October. “Perhaps this place and this country would be better served with a few more unexpected friendships. I know I was blessed with one.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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