WASHINGTON _ North Carolina Republican Mark Meadows, an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump and former chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is retiring from his U.S. House seat at the end of his term, he announced Thursday.
Meadows' announcement comes the morning after Trump was impeached by Democrats in the House of Representatives. Meadows fiercely defended Trump throughout the House impeachment process.
Meadows represents far western North Carolina. His 11th district was slightly redrawn by state lawmakers last month and now includes all of Asheville, though it is still a Republican-leaning district. Meadows was previously considered a candidate for Trump's White House chief of staff, and he said "my work with President Trump and his administration is only beginning."