FBI director Christopher Wray will step down in January ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, he announced on Wednesday.
Speaking during a town hall to FBI employees, Wray said that his “goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day.”
Trump, who appointed Wray to the director post in 2017, said in November that he intends to nominate Kash Patel as FBI director.
“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 said Wednesday. “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.”
“It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me,” Wray continued. “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.”
Wray, who holds prior experience as a federal prosecutor and counterterrorism official, was appointed as FBI director by then-President Trump in 2017 after James Comey’s dismissal. In the years since, Wray has come into Trump and his allies’ crosshairs for the FBI’s involvement in the several federal investigations into his administration.
Prior to the Wednesday announcement, Wray had been intended for a 10-year term. His resignation clears the way for Trump’s previous announcement of Patel, a former federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice.
“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 wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday in response to Wray’s resignation. “I just don’t know what happened to him. We will now restore the rule of law for all Americans.”
The former TV host went on to accuse Wray’s leadership of “illegally” raiding his home, of working “diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me” and of doing “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,” Trump said.
“Kash Patel is the most qualified nominee to lead the FBI in the agency’s history, and is committed to helping ensure that law, order and justice will be brought back to our country again, and soon,” the president-elect concluded. “As everyone knows, I have great respect for the rank-and-file of the FBI and they have great respect for me. They want to see these changes every bit as much as I do, but more importantly, the American People are demanding a strong, but fair, system of justice. We want our FBI back, and that will now happen.”
