Michigan Rep. Rogers retiring to join talk radio

WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers announced Friday he won't seek reelection for an eighth term this fall, and will launch a career as a talk radio host.

Rogers, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a former FBI agent, will join the Cumulus network -- the same radio network that syndicates shows from Mike Huckabee, Don Imus, Michael Savage and more.

"But I have always believed in our founder’s idea of a citizen legislature," Rogers said in a statement. "I had a career before politics and always planned to have one after."

The Republican was first elected to Congress in 2001 and, in his capacity as chair of the Intelligence Committee, has become the public face of national security on television. Earlier this week, he and the committee's ranking member, Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., announced legislation to end the collection of bulk metadata by the NSA.

Rogers joins Democrats Sen. Carl Levin and Rep. John Dingell as members of the Michigan delegation to retire this year. Candidates interested in running for his seat have until April 22 to file campaign papers.

The following is Roger's full statement:

It has been an honor to serve the people of Michigan’s Eight Congressional District over the last 14 years. We have accomplished so much together, and I am most proud of our work to turn the House Intelligence Committee into a true legislative and oversight body. But I have always believed in our founder’s idea of a citizen legislature. I had a career before politics and always planned to have one after. The genius of our institutions is they are not dependent on the individual temporary occupants privileged to serve. That is why I have decided not to seek re- election to Congress in 2014. As I close this chapter in my life, I am excited to begin a new one that allows me to continue serving as a voice for American exceptionalism and support a strong nation security policy agenda.

I am most proud of our work to turn the House Intelligence Committee into a true legislative and oversight body.

— Mike Rogers (MI-08) (@RepMikeRogers) March 28, 2014