After Trump fires Comey, is Chris Christie on shortlist to head FBI?

TRENTON — With Gov. Chris Christie previously on the shortlist for various jobs in President Donald Trump‘s administration, could the New Jersey governor and former federal prosecutor be tapped to replace ousted FBI chief James Comey?

In an early tweet Wednesday, Trump said Comey “will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.”

Here’s a shortlist of possible replacements for Comey as Democratic lawmakers, and some Republicans, question and decry the president’s decision to oust Comey.

Chris Christie

The governor was offered nearly a half dozen jobs in the Trump administration. Sources have said those jobs included Cabinet-level posts like Homeland Security secretary and Veterans Affairs secretary, as well as other posts, like a White House advisory role and U.S. ambassador to Italy.

But Christie, who was also among possible picks for Trump’s attorney general, turned down those posts.

Read: Why Firing Comey Could Create Major Problems For Trump

Christie is friends with Comey and has spoke glowingly of the man he used to work with at the Justice Department. During Christie’s tenure as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Comey served as deputy attorney general, the second-highest-ranking in the department.

Christie spoke often during his 2016 presidential bid about his time as U.S. attorney. He was investigated by the FBI in the George Washington Bridge lane closure.

But if Trump is looking to tap a loyalist to serve as the new FBI chief, Christie has been by the president’s side since Christie ended his own presidential campaign and remains in regular contact with Trump.

Ray Kelly

The longest-serving police commissioner in New York City, Kelly oversaw the force in the years following the Sept. 11 attacks when terror threats were routine.

His tough-on-crime stance, including support for provocative tactics like stop-and-frisk, could make him a natural ally of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and a go-to-guy for a fellow New Yorker like Trump.

Kelly as commissioner defended a police operation, exposed by The Associated Press, that conducted secret surveillance of Muslims. He could partner with Trump and Sessions on anti-terrorism efforts.

Trey Gowdy

The South Carolina Republican led the House committee investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s actions surrounding the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Gowdy is also a former federal prosecutor who boasts of his work on drug trafficking, bank robberies and child pornography cases.

He was among lawmakers critical of Comey’s decision not to prosecute Clinton in the email server investigation, saying other government officials would have been prosecuted if they handled classified information like Clinton did, but federal officials disagree with that assessment.

Gowdy said after Comey’s firing that though he had differences with the former FBI director on some matters, he “never lost sight of the fact that he had a very difficult job.”

David Clarke

A wild-card, but the outspoken and polarizing Milwaukee County, Wisc., sheriff has been a fierce supporter of Trump and even landed a speaking spot at last summer’s Republican National Convention.

A conservative firebrand known for his cowboy hat, Clarke has called himself “one of those bare-knuckles fighters” and has been critical of what he called the “hateful ideology” of the Black Lives Matters movement.

But he’d be a long shot given that a county jury recently recommended criminal charges against seven Milwaukee County jail staffers in the dehydration death of an inmate who went without water for seven days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.