WASHINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday nominated former Deputy Attorney General James Comey to replace Robert Mueller as the next FBI director, amid controversies over the U.S. intelligence community's classified surveillance programs.

Speaking at a White House ceremony, Obama said Comey is " exceptionally qualified to handle the full range of challenges faced by today's FBI, from traditional threats like violence and organized crime, to protecting civil rights and children from exploitation, to meeting transnational challenges like terrorism and cyber threats."

Comey, 52, the No. 2 official in former President George W. Bush's Justice Department, had been seen as a top choice for the next FBI director.

"To know Jim Comey is also to know his fierce independence and his deep integrity," said Obama, adding that Comey cares about getting the job done rather than politics.

The president said in particular that Comey was once prepared to give up his job rather than "be part of something he felt was fundamentally wrong."

Comey earned praise when he resisted renewing approval for an eavesdropping program in 2004 at the request of former Bush administration officials and threatened to resign along with other law enforcement officials, including Mueller.

If approved by Congress, Comey will replace outgoing Director Mueller and serve a 10-year term.