Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will formally nominate James Comey, a top Justice Department official during the Bush administration, to head the FBI, a White House official said on Thursday. The announcement is expected at a White House ceremony on Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, Comey would replace Robert Mueller, who is leaving in September after leading the bureau for 12 years. Comey is a former prosecutor who worked in New York and Virginia, where his caseload included terrorism, organized crime and fraud. Comey served as a deputy attorney general during the Bush administration, a role for which he has received both praise and criticism from outside groups.
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James Comey to be nominated on Friday, official says
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Comey was a top Justice Department official during the Bush administration
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Appointment comes as Obama administration deals with national security leak fallout
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Robert Mueller is leaving in September after 12 years leading FBI
White House
White House
CNN first confirmed in May the president's plans to nominate Comey, but at the time @placeholder officials refused to confirm that the president had made a selection in his search for a new leader of the FBI.
FBI
FBI
CNN first confirmed in May the president's plans to nominate Comey, but at the time White House officials refused to confirm that the president had made a selection in his search for a new leader of the @placeholder.
Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller
@placeholder officially started the FBI job days before the 9/11 terror attacks and later saw the agency through terrorism and other high-profile cases.