FBI head Wray to step down, clearing way for controversial Trump pick Patel
Al Jazeera
Trump has regularly criticised Wray for role in probes into former president and was widely expected to fire him.
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Christopher Wray, will resign from his position before the second term of United States President-elect Donald Trump, according to the agency.
In a statement to staff released by the agency on Wednesday, Wray cited a desire to keep the agency out of a prolonged dispute with the incoming president, who takes office on January 20.
Wray has been a top target of Trump in recent years, with the former president citing the FBI’s involvement in several investigations into his conduct. That included an August 2022 execution of a search warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in which agents gathered evidence for an eventual federal indictment related to hoarding classified White House documents.
The resignation will pave the way for Kash Patel, Trump’s controversial pick to take over the agency, although his appointment will still require Senate confirmation. Trump had already all but confirmed his plans to fire Wray, whose 10-year appointment in the role was not set to end until 2027.
“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 in his statement.
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