“In my view, this is the best way to avoid drawing this agency into further controversy, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” , Mr. Wray told FBI agents about his resignation in a meeting, according to Reuters.
Mr. Wray announced his intention to resign after US President-elect Donald Trump signaled his intention to fire Mr. Wray and nominated a replacement, former Chief of Staff of Defense Secretary Kash Patel.
FBI Director Chris Wray spoke at an event in Boston, Massachusetts (USA)
Mr. Trump himself, during his first presidential term, appointed Mr. Wray in 2017 for a 10-year term.
The resignation makes Mr. Wray the second FBI director in a row to quit because of Mr. Trump. Previously, Mr. Trump dismissed Mr. Wray’s predecessor, Mr. James Comey, during his first term. Mr. Comey was dismissed after he was unhappy about the FBI’s investigation into alleged links between Mr. Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia.
Mr. Trump and his hard-line allies criticized Mr. Wray and the FBI in general after FBI agents conducted a court-approved search at Mr. Trump’s Florida resort in 2022 to collect recover confidential documents that he kept after leaving office.
President-elect Donald Trump did not win as boldly as he claimed
That incident sparked one of two federal prosecutions that Mr. Trump faces now that he is no longer in power. Mr. Trump denies wrongdoing and describes all the lawsuits against him as politically motivated.
Federal prosecutors ended their efforts after Mr. Trump won the 2024 US presidential election, citing a long-standing US Justice Department policy of not indicting a sitting president.
Mr. Trump’s allies in the Republican party have joined him in accusing the FBI of becoming politicized, even though there is no evidence that US President Joe Biden (a Democrat) has interfered in investigative processes. FBI investigation, according to Reuters.
On the social network Truth Social, Mr. Trump called Mr. Wray’s resignation “a great day for America.” “This will end the weaponization of what has recently become known as America’s Department of Injustice. I just don’t know what happened to him,” Mr. Trump wrote.
