FBI Director Chris Wray resigns after Trump nominates Patel
Briefing
Wray, originally nominated by Trump, to step down at end of Biden term.
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Trump picks Kash Patel as successor
Wray says he made his decision "after many weeks of careful consideration."
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 - FBI Director Chris Wray will step down from his post early next year, he said on Wednesday, after Republican President-elect Donald Trump signaled his intention to fire the veteran and replace him with Kash Patel. His resignation makes him the second FBI director in a row to be ousted by Trump, who during his first term fired Wray's predecessor, James Comey, after growing exasperated with the FBI's investigation into alleged contacts between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
Wray is leaving the post before the end of the 10-year term to which Trump himself appointed him in 2017. "In my opinion, this is the best way to avoid dragging the FBI further into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to the way we do our job," Wray told FBI employees during a town hall meeting. Trump and his hard-line allies have been targeting Wray and the FBI more broadly after agents conducted a court-approved search of Trump's Florida residence in 2022 to retrieve classified documents he had kept after leaving his job. This sparked one of two federal cases Trump has faced while out of office that did not result in a trial. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called all cases against him politically motivated. Federal prosecutors ended their efforts after his election, citing the Justice Department's longstanding policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. Trump's Republican allies have joined him in claiming that the FBI is politicized, although there is no evidence that Democratic President Joe Biden interfered in its investigative processes.
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On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump called Wray's resignation "a great day for America."
"This ends the militarization of what has become known as the United States Department of Justice. "I don't know what happened to him," Trump wrote. As he has assembled his cabinet list in recent weeks, Trump has assembled a team ready to carry out two of his biggest priorities: cracking down on his political opponents and a complete overhaul of the U.S. government.
Patel, who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, has never worked for the FBI and spent only three years at the Justice Department early in his career in the terrorism section of the national security division. If confirmed, he has vowed to close the FBI's Washington headquarters building and fundamentally redefine the bureau's intelligence-gathering role. In a statement to Reuters, Patel said, "I will be ready to serve the American people from day one."
Trump's allies welcomed the news. "The FBI needs reform," Republican Senator Charles Grassley wrote in X, adding that the American people deserve transparency and accountability.
WRAY DENIED ANY IMPLEMENTATION
During his tenure, Wray said he tried to carry out the FBI's functions impartially. In a 2023 hearing before a House panel, he rejected the idea that he was pursuing a Democratic partisan agenda, noting that he had been a lifelong Republican. "The idea that I'm biased against conservatives seems a little crazy to me, given my personal background," Wray said.
FBI directors are appointed to 10-year terms, a measure designed to prevent the emergence of partisanship after the political change in the White House every four years. Wray's term was not due to expire until 2027. Democratic senators thanked Wray on Wednesday for his service, with some expressing concern about the future of the FBI without him. "The FBI is essential to the security of our nation and the safety of our families," said Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It will soon enter a dangerous new era with serious questions about its future."
The FBI Agents Association said in a statement that the agency's mission "does not waver when there are changes in a presidential administration."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland also praised Wray, stressing in a statement that the FBI director is responsible for protecting the bureau's independence from "improper influence" in its criminal investigations. "That independence is essential to upholding the rule of law," Garland said.
FISA WARRANT, Jan. 6 INVESTIGATIONS
Over the years, the FBI has faced growing criticism from Trump supporters for its various roles in the Trump investigation. Some of those concerns predate Wray's tenure, including several damning reports from the Justice Department's inspector general that criticized the agency for errors in its applications for warrants to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court during its first investigation into the Trump campaign in 2016, known as "Hurricane Crossfire." ."
During his tenure, Wray oversaw reforms to the FBI's processes for obtaining FISA warrants. The FBI, during Wray's tenure, also played a major role in helping to investigate and arrest several Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's election victory. More than 1,500 people have been accused in the attack. Trump promised to grant clemency to some of the defendants on January 6, but did not elaborate. Throughout his tenure as FBI director, Wray was known for his aggressive stance toward China and often warned that China posed the greatest threat to the national and economic security of the United States. Wray began his career at the Department of Justice in 1997 as a federal prosecutor in Atlanta. In 2003, Republican President George W. Bush named him head of the department's criminal division, where he oversaw various investigations, including post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts and the Enron Task Force. Wray also practiced law for about 17 years with the firm of King and Spalding and clerked for former Judge J. Michael Luttig on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit after graduating from Yale Law School.
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