President Barack Obama nominated James Comey, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District, to be the new FBI director Friday, tapping a Bush-era Justice Department official to lead the agency as it grapples with privacy debates over a host of recently exposed investigative tactics. At a press conference, Obama praised Comey for demonstrating unyielding integrity in the face of uncertainty. Obama said Comey recognizes that in times of crisis, America is judged not only by how many plots are disrupted, but also by its commitment to civil liberties and the ideals espoused in the Constitution. "He's a rarity in Washington sometimes: He doesn't care about politics," Obama said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Comey, 52, would serve a 10-year term and replace Robert Mueller, who has held the job since the week before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Obama praised Mueller effusively and said he could declare without equivocation that countless Americans are alive today because of Mueller's efforts. Mueller is set to resign on Sept. 4 after overseeing the bureau's transformation into one of the country's chief weapons against terrorism.
