The former Colorado Attorney General and current mayor of Colorado Springs, John Suthers, is reportedly being considered to fill James Comey's shoes as head of the FBI.
The Colorado Springs Republican was confirmed along with 10 other officials as possible Comey replacements by Fox News on Friday. The timeline for a nomination is unclear, but a White House official told Fox the administration is moving quickly.
Suthers said in a statement, "While I am honored to be listed as a possibility among some tremendous law enforcement professionals, at this point it would be premature to comment any further."
Another Colorado Republican, Sen. Cory Gardner, was quick to back Suthers, saying he "would be an an excellent choice to lead the FBI." Reps. Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn were also positive about Suthers leading the agency as was Gov. John Hickenlooper, the state's top Democrat.
Colorado Springs elected Suthers mayor in 2015. He is currently serving the second year of his four-year term. Suthers served as Attorney General of Colorado from 2005 to 2015. Prior to that, he was named by President George W. Bush in 2001 to be United States Attorney for Colorado. And in 1999, Suthers was appointed by Gov. Bill Owens as executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Suthers is reportedly being considered alongside Ray Kelly, the former and longest-serving New York City police commissioner; Mike Rogers, former House Intelligence Committee chairman and former FBI agent; Alice Fisher, former assistant attorney general; Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.; Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas; Paul Abbate, executive assistant director for the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch; Mike Garcia, associate judge of New York Court of Appeals; Michael Luttig, former federal appellate court judge and current executive vice president of Boeing; Larry Thompson, former deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush; and Andrew McCabe, acting FBI director.
Whoever is selected to head the FBI will walk into what can only be described as a shitstorm.
Comey was dramatically fired Tuesday during an investigation into whether Donald Trump's campaign had ties to Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. In a letter to Comey, Trump said the firing was necessary to restore "public trust and confidence" in the FBI. Comey has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for his public comments on an investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton's email practices, including a pair of letters he sent to Congress on the matter in the closing days of last year's campaign, the Associated Press reports.
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