McConnell: I Recommended Merrick Garland for FBI Director

Tuesday on Bloomberg, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he recommended chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Merrick Garland to President Donald Trump to replace James Comey as FBI Director.

McConnell said, “I have spoken with the president about it. I recommended Merrick Garland.”

He continued, “Yeah, it may surprise people, but he has a deep background in criminal law. He was the prosecutor in the Oklahoma City bombing case. And I think it would make it clear that President Trump will continue the tradition at the FBI of having an apolitical professional.”

He added, “It would be good to have Democratic support. And I think if he picks someone with a deep background in law enforcement who has no history of political involvement, a genuine expert — and the reason I mention Garland, he’s an example of that — it will serve him well, serve the country well and lead to, I think, a more bipartisan approach.”

Last year Leader McConnell blocked Garland’s Supreme Court nomination by former President Barack Obama after the death of Antonin Scalia.

(h/t Politico)

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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