WHO SHOULD LEAD THE FBI? Now That Comey Is Gone Here Are Some Contenders

While everyone is buzzing about the firing of James Comey, the next logical question is, “Who will replace him?” Here’s the speculative discussion on the top contenders to fill the top spot at the FBI.

Zero Hedge has a list of seven:

Rudy Giuliani The former New York mayor and U.S. attorney is reportedly on Trump’s shortlist to replace Comey. A source close to Trump confirmed to NY Mag’s Olivia Nuzzi that Giuliani is being considered for FBI director.

Chris Christie The New Jersey governor is not without controversies of his own, but he was one of the first Republicans to endorse Trump in 2016. Earlier this year, Trump appointed Christie to lead his opioid and drug abuse commission.

Andrew McCabe McCabe is currently serving as the acting FBI director in Comey’s absence. He has been Comey’s deputy since Feb. 2016 and has worked on various issues like interrogation, counterterrorism, and national security. His biggest setback: His close ties to Comey and his participation in the Russia investigation and Clinton email investigation, which was cited as the reason for Comey’s termination.

Mike Rogers He’s a former FBI agent and the former Republican House Intelligence Committee chairman. Before Comey’s confirmation in 2013, Rogers was the FBI Agents Association’s top recommendation to serve as FBI director. His name could resurface in discussions about Comey’s replacement.

Ken Wainstein Another favorite was Wainstein, who’s got a lot of credentials: Read them here.

Ray Kelly Another New Yorker, he’s the former commissioner of the NYPD and he was considered for the FBI Director role under Bill Clinton in 1993.

Trey Gowdy The South Carolina Republican served on the Trump transition team’s executive committee. One thing Trump will surely find appealing: Gowdy led House committee investigation of Clinton’s actions surrounding the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi when she was Secretary of State. He openly criticized Comey for his decision not to prosecute Clinton over the emails.

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In addition to the above listed, Politico has these added possibilities:

Chuck Rosenberg Rosenberg is a veteran federal prosecutor who is currently serving as acting chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Before taking that post, Rosenberg was chief of staff to Comey — a connection that might be too close for comfort for Trump.

George Terwilliger Terwilliger served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s, after serving as U.S. attorney in Vermont and as a federal prosecutor in Washington.

Larry Thompson A former deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson joined with Democratic lawyer and former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick in a Washington Post op-ed last fall that blasted Comey for his decisions to publicize aspects of the Clinton email probe.

Mark Filip Filip, also a former attorney general under George W. Bush, has some résumé points other contenders lack. He was a federal judge in Chicago before taking the No. 2 job at DOJ. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, whom Trump is fond of praising.

Fran Townsend Townsend is best known as homeland security adviser to George W. Bush, but she started her career as a federal prosecutor in New York City, serving for a time under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani.

FOX News adds David Clark to the list:

DAVID CLARKE: A wild-card, but the outspoken and polarizing Milwaukee County, Wis., sheriff has been a fierce supporter of Trump and even landed a speaking spot at last summer’s Republican National Convention. That support has been cited as media outlets and pundits floated him as a possible Comey replacement overnight. A conservative firebrand known for his cowboy hat, Clarke has called himself “one of those bare-knuckles fighters” and has been critical of what he called the “hateful ideology” of the Black Lives Matters movement. But he’d be a long shot given that a county jury recently recommended criminal charges against seven Milwaukee County jail staffers in the dehydration death of an inmate who went without water for seven days.

And left wing CNN drops these names in addition to previously listed names.