Updated at 5 p.m. with comment from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

WASHINGTON — Just days after interviewing to become the next FBI director, Texas Sen. John Cornyn has removed himself from consideration, his office announced Tuesday.

"Now more than ever the country needs a well-credentialed, independent FBI director," Cornyn said in a statement. "I've informed the administration that I'm committed to helping them find such an individual, and that the best way I can serve is continuing to fight for a conservative agenda in the U.S. Senate."

Cornyn, the Senate's No. 2 leader, was one of several people said to be considered to replace ousted director James Comey. The former Texas attorney general, who also served on the Texas Supreme Court, met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions last weekend about the role.

But he faced immediate concerns from even within his own party about the wisdom of tapping a partisan to lead the FBI amid investigations into whether President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russian counterparts to influence the 2016 election.

Democrats and a few Republicans called for Trump to appoint someone outside of the political sphere for the job.

Over the weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that while Cornyn would be a "superb choice" to lead the agency under normal circumstances, "these are not normal circumstances."

Graham and Cornyn discussed those concerns this week, Graham told The Dallas Morning News.

"He gets it. The only reason he was open-minded to do it [is because] he thought he could help the country," he said, calling Cornyn a "really good man." But "the president has got to make a decision, and picking a Republican elected official would be a tough sell right now."

Though plenty of Republicans said Cornyn's legal and judicial background made him well-prepared to lead the FBI, the Texan apparently lacked the support of the Senate's top Republican: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has pushed for Judge Merrick Garland to replace Comey.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with Sen. John Cornyn earlier this month, has pushed for Judge Merrick Garland to get the FBI job. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / The Associated Press)

"Historically, it's been a solid law enforcement professional without a background in elective office," McConnell said of previous FBI directors, in an interview with Bloomberg News this week. "That's the kind of person who ought to be in the job, and I think it would also make an important statement about the president himself."

McConnell and Cornyn led the opposition to Garland's Supreme Court nomination last year, but McConnell now says the U.S. Court of Appeals judge is ideal for the FBI role. Democrats aren't likely to support the idea, however, noting that Garland to the FBI opens up a critical lifetime appointment on the Court of Appeals bench.

The news that Cornyn, 65, was under consideration set off a fresh wave of speculation in Washington and Texas in recent days about his political future, not to mention who would take his seat, should he leave the Senate.

As majority whip, it's Cornyn's role to wrangle votes from Republican colleagues. The GOP holds a narrow majority this term, giving it little room for error when it comes to confirmations or passing major legislation.

But his whip term ends in 2018, unless the Republican conference agrees to change its rules to allow him to continue to serve. Cornyn is up for statewide re-election in 2020.

What's more, it's unclear how seriously Cornyn was considering the new role.

A person familiar with his deliberations told The News that he felt "obligated" to consider the role because Sessions, his longtime friend and Senate colleague, appealed to his desire to "restore stability" to the FBI and Justice Department.

Kansas Republican Sen. Pat Roberts praised Cornyn's qualifications earlier this week, but on Tuesday, he didn't mince words when asked about the news he withdrew from consideration.

"He made a very wise decision, and every Republican breathes a sigh of relief," he told The News before stepping into an elevator.

Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, said Cornyn "would have been a great choice."

Cornyn's announcement comes on a particularly heady day in Washington as lawmakers grapple with nonstop news out of the White House.

On Monday, The Washington Post and others reported that Trump disclosed to Russian officials last week highly sensitive intelligence provided by an ally.

Cornyn said that revelation had no bearing on his decision to withdraw from consideration.

Hours after Cornyn's decision, The New York Times reported that Trump asked Comey to end his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to a memo the ousted FBI director drafted. Cornyn, a member of the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, declined comment on the news, pending more information.

Others said to be up for the FBI job include acting FBI director Andrew McCabe; Richmond-based FBI agent Adam Lee; Alice Fisher, a former assistant attorney general who previously led the Justice Department's criminal division; Judge Michael Garcia of the New York State Court of Appeals; and, according to The Wall Street Journal, former federal prosecutor and U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson.

Cornyn is no doubt the highest-profile person to withdraw. On Monday, South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy announced that he, too, removed himself from consideration.

It's not immediately clear who remains in contention.

Though Trump has said he could name a new director before he leaves on a trip abroad later this week, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the president won't announce a replacement until the Justice Department provides a list of finalists.

"We're not at that point in the process," he told reporters. The Justice Department "is still interviewing candidates."

Washington Bureau chief Todd J. Gillman contributed to this report.