Six Candidates Trump Could Tap to Lead the FBI

With James Comey out at the FBI, a number of candidates have already been floated to replace the terminated director.

Vice President Mike Pence went to the Capitol on Wednesday to explain the surprise decision, and made the case to reporters about how Comey’s removal will offer a “fresh start” for the FBI.

“Ray Kelly would be an excellent pick … He’s run big institutions under administrations — federal and local … So if it’s not Ray Kelly, they ought to try to clone Ray Kelly.”

Comey had irritated members of both parties, but especially Democrats, for his odd press conference on July 5, in which he outlined the numerous violations of the law former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton committed by setting up a private email server. But Comey concluded that press conference by noting that he would not recommend charges, and that no reasonable prosecutor would.

Ten months later, the news conference — and Comey’s subsequent attempts to justify it — has finally caught up with him. Rod Rosenstein, the newly installed deputy attorney general, is a man known for his knowledge of law and Justice Department guidelines, and his recommendation to the president that Comey be removed was one of the key factors in Trump’s decision to remove the FBI director.

Rosenstein believed Comey violated the Justice Department lines of authority by deciding, without the consultation of the attorney general, that he would announce the facts of the Clinton email case to the public. His memo on Tuesday cited the opinions of respected legal officials from both parties, all of whom concluded that Comey had crossed ethical lines by publicizing so much of the Clinton email case and by declining to recommend charges to the Justice Department because, in his opinion, “no reasonable prosecutor” would have pressed charges. The scathing memo focused almost entirely on that July 5, 2016, news conference, and pointed to a consensus within the legal community that it is not the job of the FBI to determine whether prosecutors would press charges in any given case.

The question facing Trump now is: Who would lead the FBI back to its position of fairness and objectivity, and restore its sterling reputation as a nonpolitical agency?

Here are some of the candidates being mentioned who could lead the FBI:

Ray Kelly, former NYPD commissioner
Kelly is the longest-serving police commissioner in the Big Apple’s history. He served from 2002 to 2013, and Trump has praised his work.

“What I think they really need is somebody who isn’t going to be smeared as a partisan,” said Andrew McCarthy, a former U.S. prosecutor, speaking on “The Laura Ingraham Show” on Wednesday morning. “And what the situation demands at the moment would be somebody — if you could find somebody like him, he’ll kill me if I mention his name — but Ray Kelly would be an excellent pick … He’s run big institutions under administrations, federal and local, and administrations under both parties … So if it’s not Ray Kelly, they ought to try to clone Ray Kelly.”

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) is a former FBI agent and is well-liked by FBI agents. He has substantial experience with the federal government that many of his rivals do not.

He served as a congressman from Michigan’s 8th District from 2001 to 2015. Most impressively, he was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2011 to 2015.

Rudy Giuliani, former NYC mayor
Giuliani served as New York City mayor from 1993 to 2001 and is beloved by many FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors. Giuliani himself was a U.S. attorney under President Ronald Reagan who became known for his fearless prosecutions of mobsters and corrupt businessmen.

Giuliani was also one of Trump’s top campaign advisers, but he declined a Cabinet nomination and is already saying he doesn’t want the job of the nation’s top cop.

Judge Merrick Garland
Garland is best known for being President Obama’s failed and final nominee to the Supreme Court. The Republican-led Senate failed to act on his nomination during the 2016 election, allowing Trump to select his own nominee upon taking office.

Now some believe Trump could pick Garland to be the new FBI director. The job as top cop is not political — something Comey did not fully understand — and Garland’s Democratic roots would not matter too much in his duties.

“I like Merrick Garland a lot,” said McCarthy. “He’s a very, very solid law enforcement guy. He’s a political progressive, but I think I’d be much more comfortable with him as FBI director than on the Supreme Court … I think he’d be fine.”

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte
Shortly after Comey’s termination, Fox News panel floated the idea of Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) for FBI chief.

Ayotte did not endorse Trump during her bid for re-election in 2016, and her ambivalence did not prevent her from losing her Senate seat.

But she may have earned Trump’s admiration by helping to shepherd Judge Neil Gorsuch through the Senate confirmation process on his way to the Supreme Court.

Ayotte served as attorney general for the Granite State from 2004 to 2009.

Judge Diane Sykes
Sykes is a U.S. Court of Appeals judge for the 7th Circuit.

Before she was appointed to the federal court in 2004, she served for five years on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

“I think she’s great,” said McCarthy.