Obama Wants FBI Chief to Stick Around

Posted on May 12, 2011

fbi.gov

He’s been in charge since just before the 9/11 attacks, and if President Obama gets his way, FBI Director Robert Mueller will stay at his post for another two years—an unusual move aimed at keeping some aspects of Obama’s intelligence and security strategy consistent.

AP via USA Today:

Obama, in a statement, asked lawmakers to go along with his idea “for the sake of our nation’s safety and security.” A top Republican quickly warned that Obama’s move could set a “risky precedent.”

The news comes as a surprise for an administration that had been seriously vetting candidates to replace Mueller, whose term is set to expire on Sept. 4 under a law that caps the service of FBI directors at 10 years.

Mueller was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush and began just a week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of 2001. Well regarded by Republicans and Democrats, Mueller is known for transforming a crime-fighting agency into the front line of defense against terrorism.

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