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“My goal is to stay focused on our mission — the indispensable work you do every day on behalf of the American people,” Wray told FBI officials. “In my view, this is the best way to prevent the bureau from being drawn further into disputes by reinforcing the core values and principles of how we conduct our work.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray announced internally at the US federal agency that he will leave his position in January. Photo: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017, after then-director James Comey was fired during the investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and the . The 10-year term was established to protect the agency from political influences associated with changes in government.
Trump has publicly demonstrated his dissatisfaction with Wray on several occasions. In a recent interview with the program Meet the Presson NBC, Trump declared: “I can’t say I’m satisfied with him. He broke into my house,” referring to the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago property two years ago in search of confidential documents from his time as president.
In July, after the attempted assassination of Trump, the question of whether Trump had actually been hit by a bullet.
Despite the criticism, Wray has rarely publicly confronted . He distanced himself from the controversial Russia investigation and implemented more than 40 corrective measures in the process of applying for national surveillance warrants. He considered the errors made during the investigation unacceptable and strengthened controls for investigations involving candidates for federal positions.
Still, Wray hasn’t always aligned his statements with Trump’s. Last year, he said there was no evidence that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 elections, contradicting a point frequently made by Trump. Wray also disagreed with antifa’s classification as a terrorist organization, claiming it was a movement and an ideology, not an organization.
In statements about the 2020 election, Wray described in detail Russian efforts to interfere in the election, contradicting the Trump administration’s narrative, which emphasized the Chinese threat. He also stated that the FBI found no evidence of widespread voter fraud, refuting Trump’s repeated claims.
Before being named FBI Director, Wray worked at the renowned law firm King & Spalding, where he represented former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey during the “Bridgegate” case. He also led the Justice Department’s criminal division during the administration./AP.
