President Trump said Monday the search for a new FBI director is “moving rapidly.”
The president made the comment to reporters in the Oval Office after meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan of Abu Dhabi.
Trump fired FBI director James Comey last week.
Names that have been floated for director include former homeland security adviser Frances Townsend; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and New York state judge, Michael Garcia; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; former Justice Department Criminal Division Chief Alice Fisher and former Michigan GOP Rep. Mike Rogers.
During Monday’s White House press briefing, a reporter asked press secretary Sean Spicer about Merrick Garland, President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court, who has also been floated by senators as a possible director.
“The search for a new FBI director is being handled by the Department of Justice,” Spicer said. “My expectation would be that once they’ve conducted that search, they’ll present names for consideration to the president. But they are the ones leading that effort.”
