US President-elect Donald Trump has hailed the announcement of the resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray as “a great day” for the country.
Wray has announced that he intends to step down as head of the US police investigation department at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, before Trump takes office.
On his Truth Social network, the Republican reiterated the criticisms he has made of the FBI since the federal agency carried out searches of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida (southeast) in 2022, where it seized classified documents.
Trump promised to “restore the rule of law” and said he did not understand “what happened” to Wray, whom he accused of illegally invading Mar-a-Lago and of instrumentalizing justice.
In the same message, the president-elect urged the US Senate (the upper house of Congress) to ratify the nomination as the new FBI director of Kash Patel, a Trump ally and critic of the investigative police.
“Kash Patel is the most qualified candidate to lead the FBI in the history of the agency and is committed to helping ensure that law, order and justice return to our country again, and soon,” Trump said.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with FBI leadership, Wray said he will step down in January and before the end of his term, “after weeks of careful consideration.”
Wray had previously been nominated by Trump, after the former president fired then-FBI Director James Comey, beginning in 2017 a 10-year term — a period designed to insulate the agency from the political influence of different administrations.
“My goal is to stay focused on our mission, the indispensable work you do every day for the American people. In my view, this is the best way to avoid sinking the FBI further into political chaos,” Wray added in a written statement to FBI employees, quoted by international agencies.
The FBI’s investigation into the storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, has turned the century-old institution into a target of unprecedented attacks, mainly from the most right-wing wing of the Republican Party.
Trump will succeed Joe Biden (Democrat) on January 20, after defeating Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the US presidential election on November 5.
It is not yet clear whether Patel can be confirmed, even by a Republican-led Senate, although Trump has also raised the prospect of using recess appointment to enforce his choices.
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