Trump to nominate ex-Justice official to lead FBI
Christopher Wray, 'a man of impeccable credentials,' played key role in post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’ll nominate a former Justice Department official as FBI director.
Trump tweeted that his choice — attorney Christopher Wray — was “a man of impeccable credentials.”
There was no more information in the two-sentence tweet that ended, “Details to follow.”
Wray, a litigation attorney with law firm King & Spalding in Washington and Atlanta, emerged from a list of former prosecutors, politicians and law enforcement officials interviewed by Trump since he fired former FBI director James Comey last month.
Wray previously served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division from 2003 to 2005. Wray’s position there meant he worked closely with the FBI.
He “helped lead the Department’s efforts to address the wave of corporate fraud scandals and restore integrity to US financial markets,” his law firm bio says.
He led investigations into “public corruption,” among other areas of law enforcement, and was “integral to the DOJ’s response to the 9/11 attacks and played a key role in the oversight of legal and operational actions in the continuing war on terrorism,” according to the firm.
“At the conclusion of his tenure in 2005, Mr. Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Department’s highest award for public service and leadership.”
The announcement of Wray’s appointment comes just before Comey’s Thursday testimony before Congress, which will be aired live on multiple television networks in the US, about his probe into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia and his firing in May.
US Vice President Mike Pence, 2nd left, shaking hands with FBI Director James Comey, right, watched by Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy, left, and US President Donald Trump, 3rd right, during the reception for law enforcement officers and first responders in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (AFP/ MANDEL NGAN)
Democrats have accused Trump of firing Comey to upend the FBI’s Russia probe, which focused in large part on whether campaign aides coordinated with Moscow to hack Democratic groups during the election. Days after Comey’s firing, the Justice Department appointed a special counsel, former FBI director Robert Mueller, to oversee the federal investigation.
Despite the mounting legal questions now shadowing the White House, Trump has needled Comey publicly. In a tweet days after the firing, he appeared to warn Comey that he might have recordings of their private discussions, something the White House has neither confirmed nor denied.
Wray represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closing case. Two former Christie aides were convicted of plotting to close bridge lanes to punish a Democratic mayor who wouldn’t endorse the Republican governor.
Wray graduated from Yale Law School in 1992, where he was the editor of the Yale Law Journal.