The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray has indicated plans to vacate his position before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
Wray, whom Trump nominated in 2017 to a 10-year term as FBI Director, said he made this decision after several weeks of careful consideration.
Announcing his resignation plan yesterday, the Director emphasized that this move is intended to prevent the bureau from becoming further entangled in political conflicts, as tensions appear to be rising between him and the president-elect.
“I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down.”
“In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work,” Wray added.
Trump appointed Wray to lead the FBI after firing his predecessor James Comey, following the FBI’s investigations into alleged contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.
However, in recent years, Wray has fallen out of favor with the president-elect after the FBI assisted with a federal probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents, a case that has since been dropped.
Reacting to this development, Trump said Wray’s resignation was “a great day for America”.
“It will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice, We will now restore the rule of law for all Americans,” he said via his social handle.
Following Trump’s victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election to a second term, he said his pick for FBI director would be Kash Patel – a former aide who has been a steadfast supporter of the incoming Republican president.
Trump has already nominated Patel, who has called for “dramatically” limiting the FBI’s authority, to lead the law enforcement agency.
The FBI Director nominee has been a fierce critic of the agency, advocating for the firing of its top ranks in his memoir Government Gangsters, but critics question his qualifications to lead one of the world’s premier law enforcement bodies
Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers have welcomed his nomination as the right step to enhance the enforcement agency.
“Reform is badly needed at FBI, American people deserve transparency and accountability,” Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa wrote on X following news of Wray’s resignation
