The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will evaluate the President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, said Thursday that he expected Trump would not nominate anyone to lead the bureau who had a connection to his campaign or presidential transition.
In an appearance on CSPAN’s “Newsmakers,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was asked by Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski if he would be concerned if Trump’s nominee to take over from Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe “was someone who may have to recuse themselves from the Russia investigation because they were advising Trump on the campaign or were somehow otherwise involved in the transition?”
“I think the President and the people close to the President don’t want to emphasize that anymore. They’re going to get somebody entirely away from that, as far as I can tell,” Grassley said.
He noted that he would withhold judgment on any potential nominees until he got further indication from the White House. Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday.
Grassley said earlier in the interview that both Democrats and Republicans would ask of the nominee, “how are they going to handle this investigation?” referring to the investigation, confirmed by Comey under oath, of possible coordination between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
“They’re going to want to know that there’s independence from the President of the United States,” he said.
The senator noted that, given the circumstances, “it will be more difficult,” to find a consensus nominee, but that it would be easier “if they can find somebody that’s had some — in other areas — some Senate confirmation, or have a very independent approach to what they do, like maybe a former judge, like a former Judge Webster”
William H. Webster served on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals from 1973 to 1978, when he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to become FBI director.
“Somebody that comes from the judicial branch of government, I think has some credibility just because that’s been their working environment,” Grassley said, adding: “Everybody, including this senator’s going to make sure that they are independent.”
