That low-lying ground where water collects known as The Swamp is saturated in whispers and intrigue today as candidates for a new FBI Director line up for the job as America’s top cop. And every news outlet in and around Washington claims to have the inside scoop. Here’s the latest:
The Hill – the insider’s to-go spot for all things emanating from The Swamp posits a dozen people on President Trump’s short-list for the job. But they specifically name, “Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly” as potential top candidates.
Meanwhile, Fox News broadens the pool of top picks a bit. Here are their final four:
Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, who used to work in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; the acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who recently testified before Congress about the agency’s Russia collusion investigation; Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the current Senate Majority Whip and former attorney general of Texas who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Judge Michael J. Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals, who previously served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.
Fox does go on to mention Congressman Mike Rogers as well. Not to be left out, The Daily Caller also weighed in with Rogers in their report early today.
Simple observation concludes that there is only one name the three news outlets have in common – that of Mike Rogers.
So, here’s a primer on Rogers:
Born in Michigan in 1963, Rogers earned a college degree in Criminal Justice and served in the Army. He worked as a Special Agent with the FBI in its Chicago office, specializing in public corruption and organized crime. He was first elected to Congress in 1994 and represents the eighth district in Michigan as a Republican. He also “led a two-year investigation of Hillary Clinton and the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack”. (DC)
Sitting down for interviews today with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be Fisher, McCabe, Cornyn and Garcia. Only Cornyn so far has demurred saying his Senate seat is his top priority, according to The Hill.
Other names have been bandied about since the abrupt firing of James Comey this week including former U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. While that would certainly be quite the head-fake for Democrats who whined for more than a year about Garland’s qualifications, that name has yet to surface at the top administration level.
Ray Kelly is certainly a fascinating candidate to be discussed as his relationship with President Trump goes back to the days when both were players in the New York scene before, during and after the 9-11 attack.
At this point, it’s really anybody’s guess who will get the presidential nod. As always, Liberty Nation will keep you updated on the latest information without bias but with thoughtful analysis and commentary as it becomes available.
