House Intelligence Chairman a 'Respected' Contender for FBI

The Obama administration is considering House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., for the top job at the FBI, according to the chair of Intelligence on the other side of the Capitol, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Choosing Rogers could be seen as a gesture of goodwill by the White House to Republicans on security issues. It might also work to take some of the heat out of GOP criticism of law enforcement and intelligence work as congressional inquiries advance into potential agency failures ahead of the Boston bombings.

“Yes, I am hearing about it,” she said in answer to a reporter’s question. Feinstein hinted she thinks her Republican counterpart could be a good fit for the post.

“I think very highly of Mike Rogers,” she said. “I’ve gotten to know him. We just completed a CODEL with the ranking member, (Dutch) Ruppersberger, Sen. (Saxby) Chambliss, and myself to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and we traveled to Afghanistan. So I had a chance to get to know him. I think he’s been a very good chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He has a background in the FBI. I think he’s very well respected.”

Longtime FBI Director Robert Mueller’s term ends later this year.