If the name James Comey sounds vaguely familiar it’s because he’s remembered for his riveting testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee inquiring about spying practices of the George W. Bush administration.
James B. Comey, Jr. (born December 14, 1960) was United States Deputy Attorney General, serving in President George W. Bush‘s administration. As Deputy Attorney General, Comey was the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and ran the day-to-day operations of the Department, serving in that office from December 2003 through August 2005. He was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York prior to becoming Deputy Attorney General.
In December 2003, as Deputy Attorney General, Comey appointed the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, close friend and former colleague Patrick Fitzgerald, as Special Counsel to head the CIA leak grand jury investigation after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself. In August 2005, Comey left the DOJ and he became General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin. In 2010, he became General Counsel at Bridgewater Associates. In early 2013, he left Bridgewater to become Senior Research Scholar and Hertog Fellow on National Security Law at Columbia Law School. He also joined the London-based board of directors of HSBC Holdings. ~ Wiki
Former Justice Department official James Comey is expected to be nominated as President Barack Obama’s next FBI Director, NPR and the New York Times reported Wednesday.
NPR cited two sources saying that Comey, who served as Deputy Attorney General under former President George W. Bush, is in line to be Obama’s choice. The Times added one source, noting that Comey will be chosen over top White House top counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco.
Back in March 2011, Comey was in line for the same FBI post. The Associated Press detailed how he threatened to resign from the Justice Department over Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program. That stance placed him as a revered figure among Democrats who were against the practice, the wire service reported.
Politico adds that Comey, 52, left the Justice Department in 2005, and has since worked as a general counsel for defensive contracting firm Lockheed Martin and investment firm Bridgewater Associated. Their report also notes that Federal Election Commission records have him donating to Obama’s two Republican election opponents: John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012.
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- The Bedside Manner of James Comey, Obama’s FBI Pick (theatlanticwire.com)
- Obama preparing to name James Comey to lead FBI (suntimes.com)
- James Comey to be next FBI director (wptv.com)
- Barack Obama expected to name former Bush official James Comey next head of FBI (telegraph.co.uk)
- Obama To Nominate James Comey, Former Bush Official, To Head FBI, Sources Say (patdollard.com)
- Obama expected to pick James Comey as next FBI chief: source (reuters.com)
