WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Trump administration’s search for a new FBI director (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump says “a fast decision” might be made on selecting a new FBI director, possibly by late next week.
Trump leaves Friday for his first foreign trip as president. He tells reporters that it’s possible an announcement on James Comey’s replacement could come before then.
Several candidates for the job have been interviewed Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington. The interviews are being conducted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.
Among those being interviewed are Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and a federal judge from Virginia, Henry E. Hudson. Another candidate is the head of the FBI’s office in Richmond, Virginia, Adam Lee.
The acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, and former Michigan congressman Mike Rogers also have interviewed for the position.
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6:35 p.m.
A former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser is scheduled to interview for FBI director.
Frances Townsend worked in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Townsend is the seventh person to interview for the job with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.
President Donald Trump is looking for a replacement after he abruptly fired James Comey on Tuesday.
Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani as a federal prosecutor in New York and worked in the Justice Department in a variety of positions.
Among her jobs at the Justice Department, she led the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. It helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation’s top secret surveillance court.
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5:10 p.m.
An association of FBI agents says it supports a former Michigan congressman and ex-FBI agent, Mike Rogers, for FBI director.
The FBI Agents Association is urging President Donald Trump to nominate Rogers for the bureau’s top job. Trump fired James Comey from the position on Tuesday.
At least six candidates are slated to interview at the Justice Department on Saturday. Rogers isn’t among them, but he is on a list of more than a dozen people the president is considering.
The agents association says Rogers’ experience makes him the best candidate.
Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump’s transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for Director Robert Mueller in 2013.
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4:35 p.m.
A former New York prosecutor who is serving as a judge on New York’s appeals court is interviewing for FBI director.
Michael Garcia is speaking to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. He is one of at least six candidates slated to interview Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday.
Garcia sits on the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
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4:10 p.m.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is interviewing for FBI director.
Cornyn is speaking with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
The No. 2 Republican leader in the Senate, Cornyn is one of at least six people slated to interview for the position. He is a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday. Cornyn said at the time that Trump was “within his authority” to fire Comey and that it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump’s presidential campaign.
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3:40 p.m.
A federal judge from Virginia is another candidate for FBI director.
A person familiar with the process says U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson is among at least six candidates set to interview Saturday at the Justice Department. The person was not authorized to discuss the process and did so on condition of anonymity.
Hudson in 2010 declared the foundation of Obamacare unconstitutional when he ruled that the government cannot require Americans to purchase insurance.
He earned the nickname “Hang ‘Em High Henry” for his tough-on-crime stand as a former federal prosecutor and on the bench. In 2007, Hudson sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison for running a dogfighting ring, rejecting his plea for leniency.
Hudson was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush.
— Contributed by Sadie Gurman
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3:30 p.m.
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has interviewed for the permanent position.
McCabe arrived at the Justice Department in a motorcade Saturday afternoon. He is one of at least five people expected to interview for with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Saturday.
He is standing in for ousted director James Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump this past week. But he has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the dismissal and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.
McCabe joined the FBI more than 20 years ago. He’s held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI’s national security branch and its Washington field office.
More than a dozen candidates are under consideration for the job.
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1:30 p.m.
The head of the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia, office is interviewing for FBI director.
Special Agent in Charge Adam Lee arrived at the Justice Department Saturday afternoon. He’s one of at least five people expected to interview for the post with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Saturday.
President Donald Trump is considering at least a dozen people to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey on Tuesday.
Lee served as section chief of the bureau’s Public Corruption and Civil Rights section. There, he led investigations of government officials and civil rights violations. He’s held a number of other positions with the agency.
Saturday’s list also includes Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York’s highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.
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9:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he could name a new FBI director by late next week, before he departs on his first foreign trip.
Trump spoke with reporters traveling with him on his way to give a commencement address at a Virginia college. The president was asked whether he could announce an FBI candidate by Friday — when that trip abroad is set to begin.
Trump says “even that is possible.”
Justice Department officials began interviewing candidates on Saturday to replace fired FBI Director James Comey.
The job requires Senate confirmation.
Trump fired Comey on Tuesday amid the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible ties between Trump associates and the Russian government.
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9:25 a.m.
The first candidate to interview for FBI director has left the Justice Department after about 90 minutes.
White-collar defense attorney Alice Fisher interviewed with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.
Three other people are expected to interview on Saturday afternoon.
They are acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York’s highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general.
That’s according to two people familiar with the search process who weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
They are among nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this past week.
Fisher was assistant attorney general for the department’s criminal division under President George W. Bush.
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8:35 a.m.
White-collar defense attorney Alice Fisher has arrived at the Justice Department to interview for FBI director.
Fisher — assistant attorney general for the department’s criminal division under President George W. Bush — was seen entering the department’s headquarters on Saturday morning.
She’s one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this past week.
Three other people are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.
Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation for the Justice job over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.
The FBI has never had a female director.
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7:55 a.m.
Four candidates to be FBI director are in line for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters.
The Trump administration is looking to fill the job after President Donald Trump fired Director James Comey this week.
Among those expected to be coming in Saturday are acting FBI director Andrew McCabe and Alice Fisher, a top Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
That’s according to two people familiar with the search process who weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Saturday’s list includes Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York’s highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general.
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