Former Senator Joe Lieberman is no longer being considered for the post of FBI director, according to reports.

The White House is believed to be continuing its search to replace James Comey, who was fired by President Trump earlier this month.

Mr Lieberman, who represented Connecticut in the Senate as a Democrat and is now an independent, was tipped as the frontrunner for the top law enforcement job.

According to the Washington Post, a possible reason for the rethink was Mr Lieberman’s work as senior counsel at Marc Kasowitz law firm.

Mr Trump hired Mr Kasowitz as his private attorney to deal with the federal investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election.

In a letter seen by The Wall Street Journal, Mr Lieberman wrote: “I do believe it would be best to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, given my role as senior counsel in the law firm of which Marc is the senior partner.”

He thanked Mr Trump for inviting him to discuss “the possibility of being nominated” as FBI director.

The president was expected to announce his nominee for the nation’s top legal job before he left for his first official overseas trip last Friday, but the announcement never came.

Other people being considered for the job include Republican Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI official Richard McFeely.

When asked last week whether the former senator was a top choice for the job he said, “He is.”

The White House has not commented on Mr Lieberman’s letter.