Hours after practically everyone was shocked to learn Donald Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey, reporters with New York and The Atlantic caught a glimpse of cyber security advisor and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Washington D.C. He wasn’t just in D.C. though, for as journalist Olivia Nuzzi notes, they found him “just a short walk from the White House” at the Trump International Hotel. During the course of their conversation, Giuliani revealed he was attending several meetings pertaining to business matters, but stopped short of suggesting his presence had anything to do with the FBI’s new vacancy.
On the subject of Comey’s firing, however, Giuliani was more than willing to entertain the two reporters. “I think the president made the right decision,” he said, adding: “Jim is someone I regard as a friend. He worked for me for three years when I was U.S. Attorney, but I feel he made a number of bad judgments over the last year and the president was correct in removing him and trying to get the FBI better leadership.”
When asked whether or not he was in line to replace Comey, the longtime Trump supporter denied the possibility vehemently. “I am not. I’m not a candidate for FBI director,” he claimed. “The president’s not gonna ask me, and I’m not gonna be FBI director.” Giuliani went on to defend the president, especially since subsequent reports suggest the Trump administration was surprised at how loud, and politicized, the reaction to Comey’s firing was. “I think everything the president does creates political blowback because I think the president is treated quite unfairly,” he said.
Just before New York and The Atlantic‘s respective stories were published, however, Nuzzi tweeted new information from “a source close to the president.” Giuliani, the random D.C. visitor who admitted he would “possibly” be in the White House on Wednesday, “is 100% in consideration for the position.”
Just now: a source close to the president tells me Giuliani is 100% in consideration for the position.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) May 10, 2017
Seeing as how the Sharpie ink is still fresh on Trump’s letter to Comey, it’s too early to tell whether or not Giuliani is actually under consideration for the post. And considering the legal troubles he’s facing over a questionable business deal in Turkey, the former Republican presidential candidate may not be as clean as the White House prefers. Even so, the administration is undoubtedly scurrying to find and nominate a replacement, as a newly appointed FBI Director must endure Senate confirmation hearings and a determining vote before beginning his or her 10-year term.
(Via New York and The Atlantic)