If confirmed by the Senate, 52-year-old former hedge fund executive, Comey would succeed Robert Mueller.
Comey is best known for facing off against White House officials over the legality of the eves-dropping program of the National Security Agency (NSA).
Praising his FBI nominee, Obama said Coley is a rarity in Washington who doesn't care about politics. Coley understands that in time of crisis, America is judged not only by how many plots or how many criminals are bring to justice, but also by commitment to the Constitution and civil liberties espoused in the Constitution.
Mueller who took over just the week before the September 11 attacks in 2001 will retire after heading the FBI for 12 years.
"Mueller has embodied those values through decades of public service and lived them every day as FBI director during an extraordinary period in our nation's history. He began one of the biggest transformations of the FBI in history to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again," Obama said.
