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FBI director Chris Wray to step down before Trump administration takes power

In short:

FBI director Chris Wray has announced he will step down from his position as the Biden administration comes to an end in January.

The decision comes after US President-elect Donald Trump signalled his intent to fire Mr Wray and replace him with Kash Patel.

What's next?

Mr Patel, who would need to be confirmed by the US Senate as Mr Wray's replacement, has pledged to shut down the FBI's headquarters in Washington and redefine the bureau's role. 

The FBI has announced its director Chris Wray will step down from his position when the US Biden administration hands over power within the White House to US President-elect Donald Trump.

"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," Mr Wray told FBI employees on Wednesday local time, the intelligence agency said in a statement.

"My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you're doing on behalf of the American people every day.

"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. 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."

The announcement comes after Trump signalled his intent to fire Mr Wray, a veteran FBI official, and replace him with Kash Patel.

Trump himself had appointed Mr Wray, a fellow Republican, to his 10-year term in 2017 after firing his predecessor James Comey, who the then-president soured on over the FBI's investigations into alleged contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment after Mr Wray's announcement.

FBI director Christopher Wray has announced he will step down from his position before the incoming Trump administration takes power. (AP:  Tom Williams/Pool)

The president-elect posted a statement on his own Truth Social account, and said: "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. 

"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 American People are demanding a strong, but fair, System of Justice. We want our FBI back, and that will now happen."

FBI director Chris Wray to step down before Trump administration takes power

US President-elect Donald Trump has signalled he would look to fire Chris Wray and replace him with Kash Patel as FBI director in the new administration. (Reuters: Go Nakamura/File)

In a statement to Reuters, Mr Patel said: "I will be ready to serve the American people on day one."

Trump and his hardline allies turned on Mr Wray, and the FBI more generally, after agents conducted a court-approved search of Trump's Florida resort in 2022 to recover classified documents that he had retained after leaving office.

That sparked one of two federal prosecutions Trump faced while out of power, neither of which went to trial. Trump denied wrongdoing and described all the cases against him as politically motivated. 

Federal prosecutors ended their efforts after his election, citing longstanding Justice Department policy not to prosecute a sitting president.

FBI director Chris Wray to step down before Trump administration takes power

US President-elect Donald Trump has celebrated Mr Wray's announcement as 'a great day for America'. (AP:  Heather Khalifa)

Trump's Republican allies joined him in alleging that the FBI had become politicised, though there is no evidence that Democratic President Joe Biden interfered with its investigative processes.

"There are serious problems at the FBI. The American public knows it. They expect to see sweeping change," US Republican senator Bill Hagerty said in early December after Trump's nomination of Mr Patel.

Throughout his term, Mr Wray said that he followed the law and strove to impartially carry out the FBI's duties. 

During a 2023 hearing before a House of Representatives panel he rebuffed the idea that he was pursuing a Democratic partisan agenda, noting that he had been a lifelong Republican.

Trump singles out loyalist Kash Patel to lead FBI

Photo shows An Indian/South Asian man with black facial hair speaks onstage wearing a light suit jacket with American flags behind him

FBI director Chris Wray to step down before Trump administration takes power

The incoming president has picked a long-term ally who has previously pledged to "shut down" the US federal intelligence agency. 

"The idea that I am biased against conservatives seems somewhat insane to me, given my own personal background," Mr Wray said.

US Senate Democrats on Wednesday thanked Mr Wray for his service, with some raising concern for the FBI's future without him.

"The FBI is critical to our nation's security and our families' safety," Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Dick Durbin said.

"It will soon embark on a perilous new era with serious questions about its future."

The FBI Agents Association in a statement said the Bureau's mission "does not waver when there are changes in a presidential administration."

FBI directors are appointed for 10-year terms, a measure meant to avoid the appearance of partisanship after political turnover in the White House every four years. Mr Wray's term was not due to expire until 2027.

Mr Patel, who would need to be confirmed by the US Senate, has never worked at the FBI and only spent three years at the Justice Department earlier in his career in the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

If confirmed, he has pledged to shut down the FBI's headquarters building in Washington and drastically redefine the bureau's role with intelligence-gathering.

Reuters

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