President-elect Trump is interviewing candidates for the job of FBI director, incoming Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday. In a social media post that was later deleted, Vance defended himself from criticism over his absence from a Senate vote at which a judicial nominee of President Biden was confirmed, saying that at the time of the vote, “I was meeting with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director,.” reports the Associated Press. “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” he added on X. Vance was referring to the Senate vote Monday to confirm Embry Kidd, a Biden nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a vote that he and several other Republican senators missed.
The FBI director’s position carries a 10-year term but Christopher Wray’s replacement would not be unexpected given Trump's long-running criticism of the director he appointed seven years ago. This past summer,, Trump took to social media to call for Wray to resign after Wray appeared to vouch for Biden’s mental acuity. Some allies of Trump, including strategist Steve Bannon, have been pushing Trump loyalist Kash Patel for the FBI. Other potential contenders for the job are thought to include Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent and House Intelligence Committee chairman, who lost his bid for the U.S. Senate from Michigan.
Comments