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Christopher Wray will step down as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) before Donald Trump is sworn in next month, bowing to the president-elect's plan to shake up the leadership of the nation's top law enforcement agency.
“After weeks of careful consideration, I have decided that the right thing for the office is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” he added. opinionAppointed by Trump in 2017 for a term expiring in 2027, he told FBI personnel on Wednesday.
This announcement comes less than two weeks after Trump Nominated by Kash Patel To lead the FBI, he is a controversial pick who has vowed to eliminate the “deep state” of US law enforcement agencies and has championed far-right QAnon conspiracy theories.
Ray's move indicates that Patel is fierce Trump The loyalist, who served as an adviser to the defense secretary in the president-elect's first administration, may face a smoother passage to confirmation after an initially tense reception.
Patel has met in recent days with a number of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill — including John Cornyn and Josh Hawley, senators from Texas and Missouri, respectively — in an attempt to rally support ahead of his confirmation hearings.
“FBI nominee @Kash_Patel will be a champion of the America First movement. “I will do everything in my power to get his candidacy over the finish line,” said Markwayne Mullen, Republican state senator from Oklahoma. Written on X On Tuesday after their meeting.
Trump supporters were angry with Wray after federal agents searched his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. This led to the first federal indictment against a former US president, where Trump was accused of mishandling classified materials. The case was eventually dismissed by a federal judge, and the Justice Department later moved to dismiss the proceedings after Trump won the election in November, citing an internal policy that prevents the prosecution of a sitting president.
Trump called the raid and charges illegal in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. He said Wray's resignation was “a great day for America because it will end the weaponization of what has become known as the US Department of Injustice.”
Under Wray, the FBI has cracked down on illicit flows of fentanyl, which has overtaken legally prescribed painkillers as the leading cause of overdoses in the United States.
He also took on external threats, with a strong focus on China, “an adversary that has been quite clear about its intentions to lie, cheat and steal its way to economic and geopolitical dominance in the coming years,” Wray told staff on Wednesday.
“My goal is to stay focused on our mission — the indispensable work you do on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray added. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the office deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”
In a statement, US Attorney Merrick Garland praised Wray for his “integrity and skill.”
