Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina gave his formal support to Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential campaign today. Gowdy, known for leading the investigation into the 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, joined Rubio at a town hall in Burlington, Iowa, where he told attendees he is backing Rubio for president largely due to his strong national security policies.

"I'm in Iowa to give you a word of encouragement. It is not my job to tell you who to vote for. But I am going to tell you who I'm going to vote for... I'm going to vote for Marco Rubio," said Gowdy, according to the Washington Examiner.

"I trust Marco Rubio to lead a country safely that has the three most precious things in my life," he continued, pointing to his wife and two children, "which is the United State of America over the next four to eight years."

Gowdy joked about Rubio's conservative nature. "You want to know whether Marco is a fiscal conservative? Do what I did two weeks ago: Do a gift exchange with him over Christmas. The wrapping paper cost more than the tie. It was a 'Rubio for Senate' tie from 2010 that he gave me. So make no mistake, he is a fiscal conservative," said Gowdy, according to Politico.

He concluded: "I found hope in the son of a barkeep and housekeeper. I found my candidate. It's Marco Rubio."

Gowdy expanded on his decision to support the Rubio in an email sent out by the Florida senator's campaign this afternoon.

"Marco is a rock solid conservative and a leader we can trust. He is someone we can count on in Washington to stand true to his word. And I know from experience: that is hard to find in Washington," said Gowdy.

Rumors of Gowdy's endorsement emerged in recent days, prompting front-runner Donald Trump to trash Gowdy on Twitter and in an interview on Fox News, despite saying over the summer that Gowdy would have a position in his hypothetical administration.

"His [Hillary Clinton] hearings were a disaster. Everybody was looking forward to something that was going to be really productive. And he didn't win with those hearings. It was a total not-good for Republicans and for the country," Trump told "Fox & Friends" Sunday morning, as HNGN previously reported.

Moments after Gowdy's official announcement, Trump hopped back on Twitter. "I hope @TGowdySC does better for Rubio than he did at the #Benghazi hearings, which were a total disaster for Republicans & America!" he said.

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