“Repeal and replace” questions have now moved from healthcare to the Department of Justice after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
A short list of possibilities for a new FBI director is already emerging:
1. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe
McCabe has been the number two at the department for just over a year, and might be palatable to Democrats, but less so to Republicans. His tenure with the department reaches back to 1996, and multiple reports say he’s well respected within the department.
However, a controversy that emerged late in the 2016 campaign would seem to be a major impediment. McCabe’s wife was running for a Senate seat in Virginia, and her campaign accepted nearly $500,000 in donations from a political action committee run by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a long-time close ally to the Clintons.
The donations raised questions as to whether McCabe should have recused himself from the Clinton email investigation. The inspector general for the Justice Department is looking into how the Clinton email investigation was handled, and McCabe’s involvement and proximity to McCauliffe and Clinton is a part of that focus.
2. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
Christie has one major qualification: He’s a Trump loyalist. He also has the bona fides from his time as a federal prosecutor. However, his blood feud with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would seem to remain an obstacle to Christie ever securing employment in the administration.
3. John Pistole
The former administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, John Pistole has experience in the FBI.
Pistole joined the FBI in 1983 and eventually became deputy director. He joined the TSA in July 2010 under former President Barack Obama.
Under both Bush and Obama, Pistole worked on terrorism policy — meaning he could draw bipartisan support. As head of TSA, Pistole imposed an intelligence-based system for weeding out threats.
The 60-year-old is currently the president of Anderson University in Indiana. When Pistole was inaugurated in 2015, Comey was the special guest speaker.
4. Ray Kelly
Ray Kelly was the longest serving commissioner in the New York City Police Department before his resignation in December 2013.
Known for being tough on crime, his name was floated in 2011 to be the FBI director and again in 2013 as a possible Homeland Security secretary. He worked to expand the NYPD’s counterterrorism efforts in the city following the Sept. 11, 2011, terror attacks.
Currently working in the private sector, the 75-year-old Democrat is also supportive of controversial tactics like stop-and-frisk and once defended a police operation that conducted secret surveillance of Muslims.
5. U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente
Boente’s name has been floated in a few news reports. He briefly served as acting attorney general shortly after Trump fired Sally Yates from that position for refusing to defend the president’s first travel ban executive order.
Boente would likely appeal to Democrats because he was appointed by Obama in 2015 to be the federal prosecutor for the Eastern district of Virginia and won Senate approval.
6. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani, like Christie, was a Trump loyalist and surrogate during the campaign. However, a correspondent for New York Magazine tweeted late last night that Giuliani told her he wasn’t a candidate for the job.
However, Giuliani has a scheduled meeting at the White House Wednesday.
7. Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke
Clarke was among the earliest and most vocal of Trump supporters, and has continued in that role even after the election. Early Wednesday morning, Clarke told Fox Business Network, “My name has been mentioned … I try not to get into that — I’m focused on what I’m doing right now.”
Clarke is also vocal about Second Amendment issues.
But while his experience as a law enforcement officer might appeal to some, he lacks experience as a prosecutor. Democrats would likely charge hard to stop a Clarke appointment.
