Let’s pull back from the latest Russia explosion for a moment and consider that there’s still an FBI director’s position to be filled.

Interviews for the position began this past weekend, with people like the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers, and Senator John Cornyn in the running.

As of Monday, the list was made shorter by one.

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy has bowed out of the running.

Gowdy announced his intention in a Monday release, saying he shared with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, “my firm conviction that I would not be the right person,” to lead the bureau. He had met with Sessions twice in the last three days.

Gowdy would be a great fit, but as a member of several different committees (including Government Oversight, the Permanent Select Committee, and House Intel), he may very well feel he has much work to do in Congress, still.

That, and the whole 10-year appointment to what is proving to be an absolutely thankless job, given the current political climate, could have a lot to do with it.

“Our country and the women and men of the FBI deserve a Director with not only impeccable credentials but also one who can unite the country as we strive for justice and truth,” Gowdy said in his release. “I am confident that person will emerge.”

The need for a new director, of course, follows the abrupt firing of James Comey, which has set off a whole new Trump White House controversy, after Trump undermined his own staff by telling the world that he fired Comey because of his attention to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Whoever takes over the vacant FBI director spot will be stepping into an already raging pool of activity, as it seems incidents of a volatile nature seem to be popping up daily.