Sen. John McCain Thursday called on President Donald Trump to pick former Sen. Joe Lieberman to head the FBI, saying he is not concerned about the retired lawmaker's political background affecting his service.
"I hope I don't nix his chances here, but I hope that the president would select Joe," the Arizona Republican told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" about his good friend Lieberman, 75, who served as the independent senator from Connecticut from 1989 through 2013.
"There's politicians, and there's politicians, and Joe Lieberman is not only respected and admired, but beloved by all of us on both sides of the aisle," McCain told the program. "I know of no one who people had genuine affection for the way that they have for Joe Lieberman. Ask any of your guests, no matter who comes on."
Such trust and confidence, particularly among people in the Senate, is "remarkable," McCain said. "In many aspects, he's the finest man I've ever known."
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters aboard Air Force One that Lieberman was being considered to replace James Comey, who Trump fired last week.
In addition, Trump will speak with acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former Ohio Gov. Frank Keating, and former senior FBI official Richard McFeely about the post.
Lieberman, while in the Senate, served two separate stints as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee from 2001-2003 and a third stint from 2007-2013. Before he began working on Capitol Hill, he was the attorney general of Connecticut from 1983-1989.
However, NBC reported on Wednesday that Lieberman has not decided if he'll accept the job if it's offered to him, saying that the news was "unexpected. Not something I was seeking."