Justice department holds interviews for FBI director’s post

WASHINGTON: Senator John Cornyn, the secondranking Senate Republican who has in recent weeks become a more outward defender of President Donald Trump, and acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, who on Thursday contradicted the Trump White House on a range of topics, will interview Saturday to serve as the FBI’s permanent director, according to people familiar with the matter.

The men are two of at least four people who will interview to replace James Comey, whom Trump suddenly fired earlier this week, the people said.

The others are Alice Fisher, a white-collar defence lawyer who previously led the Justice Department’s criminal division, and Michael Garcia, a judge on the New York State Court of Appeals who previously served as the US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

All four will be interviewed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the two top officials in the Justice Department.

The list is not a comprehensive accounting of finalists for the FBI director positions. It is possible other candidates could be considered, officials said, and the ultimate decision falls to Trump. Justice Department officials also have interviewed four other candidates to serve as interim FBI director, though it is possible McCabe could stay on in that role if he were not selected for the permanent job.

The job also requires Senate confirmation. Whoever is selected is appointed to a 10- year term, though they can be removed by the president.

Trump’s sudden removal of Mr Comey from the position this week set off a political firestorm in Washington, fuelling fears that the president was trying to stifle the bureau’s probe into possible coordination between his campaign and Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

Trump acknowledged in an interview with NBC News published Thursday he was thinking of the Russia controversy when he decided to fire Comey. Previously, White House officials said he was acting on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials,

Trump said, though, that he would have removed Comey no matter the advice from Rosenstein or Sessions.