Christopher Wray announced that he intends to leave the leadership of the North American investigative police at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in office
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, celebrated the announcement of the dismissal of FBI director Christopher Wray as “a great day” for the country.
Wray announced that he intends to leave the leadership of the North American investigative police at the end of President Joe Biden’s term, in January, before Trump takes office.
On his Truth Social network, the Republican reiterated the criticisms he has made of the FBI since the federal agency carried out searches of Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, in Florida (southeast), in 2022, where it seized classified documents.
Trump promised to “restore the rule of law” and said he did not understand “what happened” to Wray, whom he accused of having illegally invaded Mar-a-Lago and instrumentalizing justice.
In the same message, the president-elect urged the US Senate (upper house of Congress) to ratify the appointment as the new FBI director of Kash Patel, an ally of Trump and a critic of the investigative police.
“Kash Patel is the most qualified candidate to lead the FBI in the agency’s history and is committed to helping ensure that law, order and justice returns to our country again, and soon,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with FBI leadership, Wray said he will step down in January and before the end of his term, “after weeks of careful reflection.”
Wray had previously been appointed by Trump, after the former president fired then-FBI Director James Comey, beginning a 10-year term in 2017 — a period designed to isolate the agency from the political influence of different administrations.
“My goal is to stay focused on our mission, the indispensable work you do every day for the American people. In my opinion, this is the best way to avoid plunging the FBI further into political confusion,” Wray added in a statement in writing to FBI officials, cited by international agencies.
The FBI investigation into the assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, turned the century-old institution into the target of unprecedented attacks, coming mainly from the most right-wing wing of the Republican party.
Trump will succeed Joe Biden (Democrat) on January 20th, after having defeated the vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, in the US presidential elections on November 5th.
It is still unclear whether Patel can be confirmed, even by a Republican-led Senate, although Trump has also raised the prospect of using the ‘recess appointment’, an act in which the President nominates someone to a public position when the Senate is in suspension. of activities, to make your choices count.
