Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte Kelly Ann AyotteBottom line Bottom line Bottom Line MORE (R-N.H.) is reportedly a contender to replace former FBI Director James Comey.

Ayotte is on the list of candidates while two allies of President Trump – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) – are not under serious consideration, Politico reported Thursday, citing two U.S. government officials.

One official told Politico that Ayotte’s stock rose with the Trump administration after successfully leading the nomination process for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Cynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne ShaheenSenate Democrats introduce bill to sanction Russians over Taliban bounties Trump-backed candidate wins NH GOP Senate primary to take on Shaheen Democratic senator urges Trump to respond to Russian aggression MORE (D-N.H.) said that she would likely support Ayotte for the FBI role, adding the former GOP senator would likely receive bipartisan support.

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“She was attorney general of New Hampshire,” Shaheen told Politico. “And she has the experience. So I think she’d be a good candidate.”

Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainKelly's lead widens to 10 points in Arizona Senate race: poll COVID response shows a way forward on private gun sale checks Trump pulls into must-win Arizona trailing in polls MORE (R-Ariz.) echoed that sentiment, noting Ayotte’s “widespread appreciation and respect here in the Senate on both sides of the aisle.”

Bloomberg reported Thursday that Trump was also considering former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) – a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee – and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly for the FBI post.

Politico reported that Christie and Giuliani have given advice to senior White House officials on the job. Neither man is reportedly a top candidate for FBI director, however, and it is unclear if either expressed interest to Trump in taking the post.

The White House on Tuesday announced that Trump had fired Comey, stressing that he had done so based on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

But Trump in an interview Thursday said he had made up his mind about firing Comey before receiving the written Justice Department memo from Rosenstein that recommended Comey's dismissal.

“I was going to fire regardless of the recommendation,” Trump told NBC News’s Lester Holt.

Trump’s decision stunned Washington, with many lawmakers questioning the timing of the dismissal, which came amid the bureau's probe into Moscow's efforts to influence the 2016 election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.