FBI Director Christopher Wray made the stunning announcement that he is resigning within days – long before the end of his 10-year term, bowing to public pressure from Donald Trump.
Wray gave FBI employees the news in a statement Wednesday, in a speech where he stressed the importance of ‘upholding the Constitution.’
‘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,’ he said, vowing to keep the focus on the bureau’s mission.
‘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.’
‘When you look at where the threats are headed, it’s clear that the importance of our work — keeping Americans safe and upholding the Constitution — will not change,’ he said.
Trump celebrated the move as a blow against ‘weaponization’ and attacked Wray over the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago in 2022.
Wray was confirmed to his post by a broad bipartisan margin in 2017 after Trump nominated him during his first term.
But the president-elect, who won reelection railing against what he calls a political ‘witch hunt’ against him, has been increasingly critical, inveighing against the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago in 2022 that fueled his indictment on charges of holding national security documents at his Florida club. The search came after a judge signed off on a warrant, but it infuriated Trump and former first lady Melania Trump. She called it an ‘invasion of privacy’ that made her ‘angry.’
‘Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he — he’s done, and crime is at an all time high,’ the president-elect said on ‘Meet the Press.’
Trump declared last week that Kash Patel would be the next FBI Director – without saying anything specific about Wray.
Patel has long railed against the ‘deep state’ and is considered a key Trump loyalist who has taken up the cause of January 6 defendants.
‘I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,’ Trump wrote.
Patel issued a statement expressing a readiness to serve in the soon-to-be vacant post.
‘I look forward to a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one,’ he said in a statement provided by the Trump transition.
Now, despite holding a 10-year term meant to insulate the director from political pressures, he will step down at the same time political employees and partisan cabinet members are boxing up their belongings.
A number of Republican senators have already gotten behind the controversial Patel nomination, although Patel is expected to face a tough confirmation hearing.
Among those going after him was Trump loyalist Sen. Charles Grassley, who said he had ‘no confidence’ in his continued leadership.
‘For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives,’ Grassley wrote him Monday, also referencing deputy director Paul Abbate.
Republicans who issued comments that were supportive of Wray, meanwhile, faced public pressure from MAGA allies.
That happened to South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who said Trump back in 2017 ‘picked a very good man’ to be FBI director. He said he has had ‘no objections to the way he’s handled himself’ during closed-door meetings.
That brought a threat form conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ‘Senator Rounds, you are up for reelection in 2026. If you vote against any of Trump’s nominees a primary challenge wouldn’t be hard. Just a reminder,’ he posted on X.
By announcing his resignation before Trump retakes office, Wray is acknowledging the political reality – while sparing Trump the need to fire him.
Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey amid the Russia probe startled lawmakers and itself prompted a probe as part of the Mueller investigation.
It was just the latest in a long series of events going Trump’s way. He is set to ring in the New York Stock Exchange Thursday. There are reports he’ll be named Time’s ‘Person of the Year.’ His criminal cases have fallen away since his election, in part due to internal DOJ policies against prosecuting a sitting president. Shares in his media company have rallied even amid poor earnings reports.
There have also been reports that his nemesis special counsel Jack Smith plans to resign after wrapping up his Trump cases. Trump has called Smith ‘deranged’ and said he should be prosecuted.
Wray, a Republican, was coming under pressure on multiple fronts. House Republicans have maintained their narrow majority, and Trump allies have replaced more traditional party members and taken over powerful posts. Republicans have seized control of the Senate and have either endorsed or tolerated Trump’s calls to probe investigators and prosecutors who went after him.
Trump plans to bring in a new team of loyalists, including Pam Bondi as attorney general, Kristi Noem at Homeland Security, John Ratcliffe at the CIA, and Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.
Trump celebrated Wray’s announcement in a statement that attacked his former nominee.
‘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 said, using a phrase he deployed in his criminal trials.
‘I just don’t know what happened to him. We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans. 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,’ Trump wrote.
He went on to call Patel ‘the most qualified Nominee to lead the FBI in the Agency’s History’ and saying he has respect for rank-and-file FBI agents.
‘I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation, so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin. Thank you!’