Obama Wants FBI Chief to Stick Around
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.