Ex-US Senator Joe Lieberman withdraws from consideration to be FBI director: WSJ

Washington: Former U.S. Senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman has withdrawn from consideration to be the next director of the FBI, citing the potential for an appearance of a conflict of interest, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Lieberman cited his work at a New York law firm headed by Marc Kasowitz, the Journal reported. Kasowitz has been retained by Trump to be his private attorney as a special counsel probes possible ties between Trump`s presidential campaign and Russia, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

Lieberman and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Given Kasowitz`s role, Lieberman might not have been able to participate in the Russia investigation for a period of two years without a Justice Department waiver, Kathleen Clark, a professor of legal ethics at Washington University School of Law told Reuters on Wednesday.

A federal regulation restricts newly hired government lawyers from investigating their prior law firm`s clients for one year, a period that was extended to two years under an executive order signed by Trump in January.

Trump told reporters a week ago that he was "very close" to selecting a nominee to replace James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Trump fired Comey earlier this month, calling him a "showboat" and "grandstander." That decision set off a political firestorm given Comey`s central role in the FBI`s probe of potential collusion between Trump`s campaign and Russian officials seeking to swing the 2016 presidential election in Trump`s favor.

CNN, citing a unnamed senior administration official, reported on Wednesday that Trump wanted to renew the search for an FBI director to succeed Comey after having interviewed a number of candidates, including Lieberman.