FBI head Wray to step down after Patel controversial nomination

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Dec 2024 08:31

Appointed by Trump in 2017 to lead the 38,000-member Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wray had three years remaining in his 10-year term.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray listens during a meeting of the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP)

FBI Director Christopher Wray announced on Wednesday his decision to resign in January, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

"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 a statement to FBI employees released by the agency.

Trump, who will be sworn in on January 20, has nominated Kash Patel, a staunch loyalist, to succeed Wray as the head of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency and has welcomed Wray’s resignation.

Appointed by Trump in 2017 to lead the 38,000-member Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wray had three years remaining in his 10-year term. However, tensions had risen between the two, raising the possibility of Wray being dismissed 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 declared in a post on Truth Social.

He accused Wray of misusing the FBI’s authority, saying, "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."

The FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 to retrieve classified documents removed from the White House without authorization. Trump was subsequently indicted for mishandling classified materials and obstruction of justice, though the case was dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge.

In his farewell remarks to the FBI workforce, Wray emphasized the importance of preserving the bureau’s neutrality, saying that 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 stressed. "That's what the American people expect of us and that's what they deserve."

Kash Patel, a former Trump advisor and Pentagon official, has been an outspoken critic of the FBI and is known for controversial views.

A staunch Trump ally, Patel subscribes to the Republican belief in an anti-Trump "deep state" of bureaucrats allegedly working against the president. He has even authored a book on the subject.

Patel served in key positions during Trump’s first term, including as a national security advisor and as chief of staff to the acting defense secretary.

In his Truth Social post, Trump further criticized law enforcement, alleging they 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."

"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 indicated.

"I look forward to Kash Patel's confirmation so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin."

Trump's FBI chief pick Kash Patel met with Senate opposition

Patel, who has vowed to dismantle the FBI’s leadership and convert its Washington, D.C., headquarters into a “museum of the deep state,” is expected to face a contentious Senate confirmation process.

Lawmakers from both major political parties shared starkly differing views on Patel’s nomination during Sunday talk shows.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota hinted at potential obstacles to Patel’s confirmation, praising Wray’s leadership and emphasizing the Senate’s constitutional role in the process.

Wray is a "very good man," Rounds said on ABC’s This Week, adding that he had no objections to how he is handling his job.

While stating he typically defers to presidential nominations, Rounds underscored the importance of the Senate’s oversight role.

Other Republicans expressed strong support for Patel. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas told CBS’s Face the Nation that Patel is a “very strong nominee” capable of addressing what he described as “partisan corruption” within the FBI.

Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee echoed this sentiment on NBC’s Meet the Press, calling Patel "the best at uncovering what’s happened to the FBI."

In a September interview, Patel pledged to shut down the FBI headquarters and reopen it as a museum, while using federal law enforcement powers to target individuals he accuses of government corruption.

Among those listed in his memoir is Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security advisor. Patel labeled Sullivan “one of the corrupt actors of the first order.”

When asked about Patel’s potential leadership of the FBI and the threats he has made, Sullivan declined to comment directly, stating that his focus remains on national security in the administration’s final 50 days.

However, he noted that Biden retained Wray as FBI director, honoring a bipartisan tradition of secluding the bureau from political influence.

Democratic lawmakers challenged claims of FBI politicization under Biden. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland pointed out on CNN’s State of the Union that the FBI had recently prosecuted prominent Democrats, including Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas.

Reports from Axios revealed that Trump initially considered appointing Patel as deputy FBI director but elevated him to the top position after being unimpressed with Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, his first choice for the role.