Trey Gowdy said on Monday he is not a candidate for FBI director, after being named by several sources as a possible successor to James Comey who was fired last week by President Donald Trump.
Gowdy, a former state and federal prosecutor, said he spoke with Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday, expressing a “firm conviction that I would not be the right person” to step in as the new FBI director, according to Fox News.
Gowdy took to social media to share the details of his conversations with Sessions, CNN noted.
“I was out of the country on a House intelligence committee mission when Jim Comey’s tenure ended as director of the FBI,” Gowdy posted on Twitter and Facebook. “I spoke briefly with Attorney General Jeff Sessions Saturday when I returned and again this afternoon. I shared with him two things (1): the qualities I believe are indispensable for our next FBI Director to possess, and (2) my firm conviction that I would not be the right person.”
“I want to thank the scores of law enforcement offices and prosecutors who have contacted me over the past couple of days,” said Gowdy, per Time magazine. “Perhaps we can work together again in the future.”
Gowdy’s announcement cames as the Trump administration continued to look for Comey’s successor. Several candidates were interviewed over the weekend, including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Sen. John Cornyn, said CNN.
Gowdy currently serves on the House committees for intelligence, ethics, oversight and judiciary, and he’s also a chairman of the Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
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