Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., will now be front and center as Congress investigates the role of Russia in cyberattacks against America.

The former chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi has been assigned as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“Protecting the safety and security of our fellow citizens is the preeminent function of government. When it comes to our national security, we cannot afford to take risks,” Gowdy said in a prepared statement.

“The House Intelligence Committee plays a vital role in protecting Americans both at home and abroad through conducting thorough oversight of our nation’s intelligence agencies,” he said.

“I look forward to joining the House Intelligence Committee and working with Chairman [Devin] Nunes and my colleagues to ensure national security remains the top priority in the 115th Congress,” the congressman added.

Gowdy’s appointment was made by House GOP leaders. He serves on three other committees — Ethics, Oversight and Government Reform, and Judiciary.

Gowdy led the Benghazi panel for four years as it investigated the 2011 attack against the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead.

The House Intelligence Committee, which was formed in 1977, deals with classified information and intelligence-gathering though 17 government agencies.

Nunes, the California Republican who chairs the committee, has cast doubt on contentions that Russian hacking was designed to sway the 2016 presidential election.

“We’ve known that Russia is a very sophisticated bad actor in the cyber realm. Many members of Congress, not just members of the House Intelligence Committee, have been warning the Obama administration about Russia’s continued cyber attacks on this country, and they did nothing,” he said recently.

“And so, now, as you look forward, you know, they lose an election, and then it appears like they want to change this narrative into somehow that Russia was responsible for Hillary Clinton losing the election. And I just don’t buy that,” he said.

Although Nunes has sought to stay out of the controversy over a dossier about President-elect Donald Trump allegedly compiled by Russia, he said Russian actions to smear American leaders “should not be a surprise to anyone.”

“The Russians are always looking for dirt on any politician,” Nunes said. “That wouldn’t be news.”

Asked about contacts between the Trump team and Russia, he said, “No. I found that hard to believe. I have not heard that. News to me.”