Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke says the White House has not contacted him about replacing James Comey as FBI director.
“No, I haven’t, but even if I did, I don’t think I’d tell you,” Clarke told Fox Business when asked if he is in discussions with the Trump administration about succeeding Comey. “Those kind of conversations are confidential, but I stand by and my word is a badge of honor.”
Clarke views the decision to oust Comey as a difficult but necessary decision but that the FBI’s credibility has taken a hit under Comey and believes Trump’s decisions should not be viewed through a political lens.
“You have to make tough decisions and every time you do that it’s going to be viewed thorugh the political lens, like what Schumer and others have done,” said Clarke. “But what President Trump understands what leadership is. He understands that, along with Jeff Sessions, that the FBI has suffered some credibility issues recently and that’s not good.”
While Clarke’s name continues to be floated for various positions in the Trump administration, he is dismissing the rumors as the theatrics of Washington.
“This is the kind of political theater that goes on when something like this opens up — the short list, the long list. My name has been mentioned. I try not to get into that. I’m focused on what I’m doing right now. It’s an honor to be talked about in that sort of thing, but the only person whose opinion matters in this, in terms of who the next director will be is President Donald Trump,” Clarke said.
Justice Department officials say Attorney General Jeff Sessions has already begun interviewing candidates to serve as interim FBI director as Senate Republican leaders are promising a “fair” and “timely” hearing for Comey’s replacement.
