Joe Lieberman, the former senator from Connecticut and Al Gore's running mate in 2000, is President Trump's top choice to replace James Comey as FBI director, Trump said Thursday.
The president made the announcement during a gathering with television anchors at the White House, and later, while speaking to reporters during an appearance with President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, Trump said, "We're very close to an FBI director." Lieberman originally ran as a Democrat and later became an independent, and several of his former Democratic colleagues told Politico they don't believe he should take on the position for a variety of reasons — as a former politician he doesn't have enough experience to lead the organization; he became more conservative toward the end of his Senate career; and he opposed part of former President Barack Obama's agenda while he was still in office. Lieberman is also senior counsel at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres, and Friedman, a law firm that has frequently represented Trump — and is apparently no longer touting that fact.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The clown car cabinetOpinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connectionFeature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, OhioFeature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in RussiaSpeed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majoritySpeed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
-
Biden arrives in Peru for final summitsSpeed Read President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit the Amazon rainforest and attend two major international summits
-
Senate GOP selects Thune, House GOP keeps JohnsonSpeed Read John Thune will replace Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader, and Mike Johnson will remain House speaker in Congress
-
Trump tests GOP loyalty with Gaetz, Gabbard picksSpeed Read He named Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Both have little experience in their proposed jurisdictions.
-
Pentagon Discord leaker gets 15 years in prisonSpeed Read Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, leaked classified military documents
-
Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in GazaSpeed Read Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
-
Trump fills key slots, tapping Congress, MAGA loyalistsSpeed Read The president-elect continues to fill his administration with new foreign policy, environment and immigration roles assigned
