Cornyn drops out of running for FBI director

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Tuesday took himself out of the running to be the next director of the FBI.

“I have always considered public service to be a great privilege. How I can best serve my fellow Texans and my country has, and will continue to be, my guiding principle,” Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.

“Now more than ever the country needs a well-credentialed, independent FBI Director. I’ve informed the Administration that I’m committed to helping them find such an individual, and that the best way I can serve is continuing to fight for a conservative agenda in the U.S. Senate,” he added.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions interviewed Cornyn about the FBI position after Trump’s surprise firing last week of James Comey.

But many Senate Republicans were cool to the idea, with many urging Trump to steer clear of appointing a politician to the post, given the controversy swirling around the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, including possible links between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.

“John Cornyn is a wonderful man. Under normal circumstances, would be a superb choice to be FBI director,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” over the weekend. “But these are not normal circumstances. We’ve got a chance to reset here as a nation.”

Trump this week said the process of finding a new FBI director is moving “very rapidly.”