Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (I.) is reportedly the frontrunner to replace fired Director James Comey as head of the FBI.
Several sources told Politico that the former Democratic vice presidential nominee is currently the top pick of President Donald Trump, who wants to name his nominee before he leaves for his first international trip on Friday.
One source told Politico that Trump bonded with Lieberman in their interview for the position, and he was leaning towards the him in the immediate aftermath. Trump has not signaled that anyone else has replaced Lieberman as his top preference since then.
Lieberman would be an unorthodox choice to lead the Bureau. Customarily, the Director is a non-partisan figure, whereas Lieberman is a career politician. In addition, the FBI Director is generally appointed for a 10-year term; Lieberman is 75 years old.
Some of the appeal of Lieberman to Trump may be in a personal connection. The former senator works at the same law firm as Marc Kasowitz, who is Trump's longtime New York lawyer.
Democrats, however, may not love their former vice-presidential candidate, who ran alongside Al Gore in 2000. One senior Democratic aide told Politico that Lieberman's connection to Kasowitz could be an issue. At a Democratic Senator lunch on Thursday, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) and others criticized the pick.
Neither Lieberman nor the White House responded to Politico's request for comment.