Joe Biden’s tapping Thursday of former White House anti-terrorism chief Lisa Monaco to be deputy U.S. attorney general means the promotion of one of the closest associates of former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.
In fact, when Mueller stepped down as FBI Director in 2013, Monaco was considered his heir apparent. President Obama, however, chose Republican and former Bush Administration official James Comey over Monaco for reasons which are still unexplained.
Monaco, former assistant U.S. attorney general for national security, was named top counterterrorism adviser to the president after John Brennan was named CIA director earlier in 2013.
A Harvard graduate and former assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Monaco, 45, was frequently characterized as “Mueller’s Mueller.” From 2006 to 2009, she served the then-FBI director as counselor, deputy chief of staff, and chief of staff.
“The list could probably stop at Monaco, given how improbable the other people on it are,” the Washingtonian Magazine reported as Mueller made it official he was retiring. “Putting aside Monaco’s legitimate credentials, and the fact that her name has indeed been making the rounds over the past few months … the other people on this list are not likely to want the job or be able to easily sail through confirmation.”
Obama, however, felt otherwise and turned to Comey rather than Monaco.
In naming her to the number two slot under Attorney General-designate Merrick Garland, Biden has now continued the trajectory in her career in government.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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