FBI Director Christopher Wray announced on Wednesday that he will resign in January before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
“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,” Wray told bureau employees in remarks released by the FBI.
Trump, who is to be sworn in as president on January 20, has announced the nomination of staunch loyalist Kash Patel to replace Wray as the head of the top US law enforcement agency and he welcomed the FBI chief’s resignation.
Wray was named by Trump in 2017 to head the 38,000-strong Federal Bureau of Intelligence but the incoming president has since soured on his choice.
Wray had three more years remaining in his 10-year term as FBI director but faced potentially being fired by Trump.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America,” Trump said.
The FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022 to recover top secret documents taken without authorization from the White House.
Trump was indicted for mishandling classified documents and obstruction of justice but the case was dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge.
‘Above partisanship and politics’
Wray, in his remarks to the FBI workforce, said stepping down “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.”
“In terms of how we do the work, we’ve got to maintain our independence and objectivity — staying above partisanship and politics,” he said. “That’s what the American people expect of us and that’s what they deserve.”