In somewhat surprising but most welcome news for President-elect Donald Trump and his base of MAGA Republicans, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray has resigned his position as director despite being only partway through his ten-year term, doing so shortly after reports that he would likely do so before the inauguration emerged. The news means it will be far easier to confirm Kash Patel as FBI Director.
According to reports on the matter from before he resigned, confidants of Director Wray have said that he sees the intentions of President-elect Trump to not follow tradition and let him serve out his ten-year term, as the president-elect is set on appointing someone who will end “weaponization” of the FBI. As a result, Wray plans on resigning rather than fighting it out for his position.
The Washington Times report on the matter noted that a source told it, speaking of Director Wray’s plans to resign, “He’s going to be gone at the inauguration. On or before the inauguration. President-elect Trump’s hostility to the FBI and its current director comes, amongst many other issues with it, in large part from its 2022 raid of his Mar-a-Lago home as part of the classified documents probe.
Then Wray announced that he would resign. As the New York Times reported mid-afternoon on the 11th of December: “The F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, told bureau employees on Wednesday that he intended to resign in January, bowing to the reality that President-elect Donald J. Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him.” According to the NYT, Wray’s resignation will likely mean that Paul Abbate, the deputy FBI director, will be in charge until a successor is appointed.
Before he resigned, the Mar-a-Lago incident and others led other Republicans, including those who are generally moderates, to go on the attack against Wray. For example, Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote a letter to Mr. Wray in which he said, “For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives.”
Continuing, the senator said, “I therefore must express my vote of no confidence in your continued leadership of the FBI. In that raid, roughly 30 armed agents entered the home of a former president of the United States, with full authorization to use lethal force if needed to execute its warrant, and even searched the former First Lady’s clothing drawers.”
Also chiming in on the matter of Wray, Patel, and the FBI was Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who noted that he sees it likely that Patel will be confirmed quickly, and that he will have to work to restore the FBI’s reputation. Sen. Cornyn said, “I assume that Mr. Patel will be confirmed as the next FBI director. We talked about the importance of restoring the reputation of the FBI as a nonpartisan law enforcement investigative agency.”
The FBI, in a statement on the matter, said, “The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to Congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people. Director Wray and Deputy Director Abbate have taken strong actions toward achieving accountability in the areas mentioned in the letter and remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work of the FBI.”
Beginning his post announcing his appointment of Mr. Patel, President-elect Trump said, “I am proud to announce that Kashyap “Kash” Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People.”
Continuing, he said, “He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.” Then, reminding readers of what Patel did in the past, Trump said, “Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials.”
Concluding by describing what Patel’s priorities will be, the president-elect said, “This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”
Rep. Lawler has spoken about Patel as well, noting that reforming the FBI so that it does do what it ought to fight crime is what should be done. He said, “And that should be the objective and the goal of every American. Obviously that’s what my hope is as the Department of Justice moves forward under Pam Bondi and the FBI under Kash Patel.” Watch him here:
Featured image credit: By Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Director Wray Installation Ceremony, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63667604
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