Obama nominates James Comey to head FBI (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama has nominated James Comey, a former George W. Bush administration official, to replace outgoing FBI director Robert Mueller and lead the agency for the next ten years.

Comey, a registered Republican, gained public notoriety in 2004, when he stopped Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Bush White House counsel Alberto Gonzales from reauthorizing a controversial program on warrantless wiretaps.

Obama, in a speech on Friday, referenced the incident, saying Comey "was prepared to give up a job he loved rather than be part of something he felt was fundamentally wrong."

Obama also mentioned Comey's other career highlights:

"As a young prosecutor in the US attorney's office in Manhattan he helped bring down the Gambino crime family; as a federal prosecutor in Virginia he led an aggressive effort to combat gun violence that reduced homicide rates and saved lives," Obama said.

After Comey left the Justice Department, he worked for Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor. In 2010, he worked for Bridgewater Associates, a hedge fund, and has served as a nonexecutive director of the UK bank HSBC.

Comey, who still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, said he was eager to get to work. 

"They are men and women who have devoted their lives to serving and protecting others and I simply can't wait to be their colleague," he said.

Watch Obama talk about Comey here: