White House officials looking for a new FBI director to replace James Comey have reset their search.
President Trump fired Comey earlier this month, and a White House team began conducting a search for a candidate to take his place. Among the candidates was former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was the reported front-runner.
Trump said last week he was “very close” to choosing Comey’s replacement but the president has since said he wanted to see a “broader range” of candidates for the job, a senior administration official told CNN.
Comey was leading the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and potential ties between Trump associates and Russia.
In the wake of Comey’s firing, the Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel and lead the agency’s probe.
Lieberman works for the same law firm as Marc Kasowitz, the lawyer Trump is expected to hire to serve as his outside counsel during the FBI and congressional inquiries into his campaign’s ties to Russia.
But the administration official told CNN that Trump’s hiring of Kasowitz didn’t have any impact on the search for a new FBI director.
Among those interviewed for the job were acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former Rep. Mike Rogers and Fran Townsend, a former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush.
