Trump: FBI Director Christopher Wray’s departure will be a ‘great day for America’

FBI Director Christopher Wray will leave his position before Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, with Trump indicating he wants a more loyal candidate for the role, the BBC writes.

Wray announced his coming resignation during an internal FBI meeting, as reported by CBS.

Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, has signaled that he wants Wray to be replaced by Kash Patel, who is personally loyal to the new president and shares conspiracy theories about the so-called “deep state”.

Patel used to be a fierce critic of the FBI and called for the removal of its top leadership.

The FBI director is appointed for a 10-year term by the U.S. president, who, however, has the right to dismiss him at any time, even without cause. Wray was appointed to this position by Trump in 2017, and the subsequent Biden administration has not replaced him.

“After several weeks of careful consideration, I have decided that it is in the bureau’s best interest for me to serve until the current administration ends service in January and then leave my position,” Wray said at the FBI meeting.

Addressing the agency’s employees, he noted that the FBI’s mission to “keep Americans safe and defend the Constitution” will remain unchanged.

Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social page that Wray’s departure will be a “great day for America” and that it will put an end to the FBI being used as a tool against political opponents in government struggles. Patel’s nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.