Timothy P. Murphy (FBI)

A new agent has taken over the FBI’s no. 2 spot, at least on a temporary basis. 

Associate Deputy Director Timothy P. Murphy, the no. 3 official at the FBI, has taken over the Deputy Director spot on an acting basis, Paul Bressen, an FBI spokesman, confirmed Monday. He replaces former Deputy FBI Director John Pistole, who was confirmed to head the Transportation Security Administration last week.

Bressen said a permanent replacement had not yet been named. Murphy is the leading candidate to replace Pistole on a permanent basis.

The website Tickle The Wire first reported that Murphy took over the position on an acting basis.

Additional reporting by David Johnston.

Murphy’s FBI bio is reprinted below:

Timothy P. Murphy began his career with the FBI when he entered on duty as a special agent in September 1988.

As a more than 20-year veteran of the FBI, he has worked a number of investigative matters, including counterterrorism and organized crime/drugs. He has served as a pilot in the aviation program and within the special operations, technical operations, undercover operations, and surveillance programs. He has held a number of supervisory and leadership positions at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in the field, including special agent in charge (SAC) of the Cincinnati Division, and he was a member of the Director’s SAC Advisory Committee.

Mr. Murphy has served as a special assistant to Director Mueller. In this position, Mr. Murphy provided counsel to the Director on a variety of policy, budget, and administrative matters. He also assisted in the preparation for the Director’s events and meetings, domestic and international travel, and ensured the resolution of day to day issues.

Mr. Murphy has also served as the assistant director/chief financial officer at FBI Headquarters. In this position, Mr. Murphy was responsible for formulating and executing the FBI’s then-$6.2 billion budget.

In January 2008, Mr. Murphy was appointed associate deputy director. In this position, Mr. Murphy oversees the management of the FBI’s personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure.

Prior to entering the FBI, Mr. Murphy worked in the private sector and as a police officer in Michigan. He graduated from Ferris State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice.

Timothy Heaphy (McGuire Woods)

Timothy Heaphy (UVa, UVa Law) is nominated to replace John Brownlee, who campaigned to be the Republican nominee for Virginia attorney general after he left the U.S. Attorney’s office in April 2008 but lost to State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli.

Heaphy’s vitals:

• Born in New Haven, Conn., in 1964.
• Been a partner at McGuireWoods in Charlottesville, Va., since January 2006. Represented corporate and individual clients in government investigations involving securities, public corruption, environmental crimes, tax, government contracting, campaign finance, conflicts of interest, fraud and conspiracy. Also defended Kirk Fordham, former chief of staff to Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), and Rep. Timothy Murphy (R-Pa.) in separate criminal investigations.
• Received $506,868 from his partnership with McGuireWoods. Upon confirmation, Heaphy would resign from McGuireWoods, triggering a $37,500 bonus based on his performance in 2009.
• Served as Deputy Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Virginia from May 2003 until December 2005, where he handed cases involving violent crime, public corruption, fraud and national security. While in the office, he also served as the Deputy Managing Assistant United States Attorney for the Charlottesville Division of the district and  served as the district’s Anti-Gang Coordinator.
• Worked as assistant U.S. Attorney  for the District of Columbia from April 1994 until May 2003. He was hired for the job by Eric Holder, who Heaphy discloses has “been a friend and mentor ever since.”
• Was an associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco from September 1992 until April 1994.
• Was a summer associate at McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen in San Francisco in 1990.
• Was a press assistant on the Biden for President campaign in the summer of 1987, after which he worked in Biden’s senate office from September 1987 until June 1988.
• Worked for the Crime Victims United of Virginia political action committee in the fall of 2007 for less than a month before resigning due to “disagreement with the tone and substance of advertising that the group intended to sponsor and my realization that the group’s purpose was limited to the defeat of a particular candidate rather than the broader support of issues impacting crime victims.”
• Estimates that he has tried 65 cases to jury, the majority of which he was sole counsel on. Also has tried hundreds of non-jury trials.
• Has served as Vice Chairman of the Virginia Bar Association Criminal Justice Section since Feb. 2009
• Has served as Director of the First Amendment Memorial at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Free Expression since Jan. 2006 and will resign upon confirmation
• Served as Director of the Virginia Fair Trial Project from April 2008 until February 2009
• Was the Athletic Director at Camp Chateaugay in Merrill, N.Y. in the summer of 1988. Also was an English teacher at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., during the 1986-1987 school year. Worked as a waiter at II Porto Ristorante in Alexandria, Va. in the summer of 1986.
• Has received a slew of awards including the Department of Justice’s John Marshall Award for Excellence in Trial for Litigation, DOJ’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance and was named one of National Law Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.”

Click here for his full questionnaire.