President Bush will nominate former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik as the next U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Officials say a formal nomination could be announced as early as Friday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Kerik would replace Tom Ridge, who announced his resignation Tuesday.
As New York's police commissioner, Mr. Kerik gained national attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2003, he took on a temporary assignment to help rebuild Iraq's post-war police forces.
Also Thursday, John Danforth -- the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations -- suddenly resigned after only six months on the job.
No reason was given for his resignation.
Mr. Danforth had been mentioned as a possible successor to Secretary of State Colin Powell, before President Bush chose Condoleezza Rice for the post.