FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday said he plans to resign at the end of the Biden administration, a move that would clear the way for Donald Trump to appoint his preferred pick for the position.
Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 and is in the middle of a 10-year term, made the announcement at a town hall for the workforce, according to the FBI, which provided excerpts of his remarks.
“After weeks of careful thought, 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. My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray said, according to the remarks.
“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.
“It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI,” he said.
Wray’s expected resignation would allow Trump to appoint Kash Patel, a staunch Trump ally, to the role. Patel, who would have to be confirmed by the Senate, has proposed ideas that would bring broad changes to the FBI if implemented.
Trump posted on social media Wednesday that he looks forward to Patel’s confirmation “so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin.”
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice. I just don’t know what happened to him. We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans.”
Trump pointed to the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago that led to an indictment against him, and said the FBI “has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America. They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.”
Wray, who has been the subject of fierce criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill during his tenure, said the agency cannot change its commitment “to doing the right thing, the right way, every time.”
“Our adherence to our core values, our dedication to independence and objectivity, and our defense of the rule of law — those fundamental aspects of who we are must never change,” Wray said in the remarks. “That’s the real strength of the FBI — the importance of our mission, the quality of our people, and their dedication to service over self.”
Wray has been a lightning rod of criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill who have slammed the FBI on a wide array of topics, from its handling of the classified documents case against Trump to its practices in regard to surveillance authorities.
In a letter sent this week, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, who plans to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, expressed a “vote of no confidence” in Wray’s leadership of the FBI.
“These failures are serious enough and their pattern widespread enough to have shattered my confidence in your leadership and the confidence and hope many others in Congress placed in you,” Grassley wrote.
Grassley, in a statement, said Wray’s expected resignation is a chance for a “new era of transparency and accountability” at the agency.
“Future FBI Directors ought to learn a lesson from Wray’s mistakes. Stonewalling Congress, breaking promises, applying double standards and turning your back on whistleblowers is no longer going to cut it,” Grassley said.
Senate Judiciary Chair Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., thanked Wray for his service to the country and said the agency “will soon embark on a perilous new era with serious questions about its future.”
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, in a statement, said Wray had served the U.S. “honorably and with integrity” during his time as head of the FBI.
“Director Wray has worked tirelessly to protect the American people and to lead an agency of 38,000 dedicated public servants, many of whom put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities,” Garland said.
Garland also said the FBI director is responsible for protecting “the independence of the FBI from inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations.”
“That independence is central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear,” Garland said. “Director Wray has done that job with integrity and skill.”
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