FBI Director Christopher Wray is reportedly planning to resign on or before President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day, according to The Washington Times. Wray, who is seven years into a 10-year term, was appointed during the first Trump administration but is looking to step down before Trump can fire him.
The newspaper notes that Wray’s resignation would preempt any effort by Trump to remove him, especially as the president-elect nominated Kash Patel, a lawyer and former Department of Justice prosecutor, to lead the FBI.
Patel is scheduled to meet with Republican senators in Washington this week as part of the Senate confirmation process required to take over the FBI.
Wray’s decision comes after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the incoming Senate judiciary chair, publicly expressed his lack of confidence in the FBI director on Monday, Dec. 10.
In an 11-page letter to Wray, Grassley detailed his frustrations with the director’s leadership and criticized the FBI’s handling of congressional oversight requests. These included inquiries into sexual harassment claims by female FBI employees, the Afghanistan withdrawal, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information and the unprecedented raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
“As we stand at the threshold of a new Congress and a new administration, with seven years of water under the bridge, you’ve failed in these fundamental duties as director,” Grassley wrote. “Your and Deputy Director [Paul] Abbate’s failure to take control of the FBI has hindered my work and others’ work throughout multiple congresses on matters that needed timely information, and has prevented the truth on some issues from ever reaching the American people.”
“You’ve also shown a continuing double standard and failure to carry through on promises,” Grassley continued. “For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives.”
In response, the FBI issued a statement to The Washington Times.
“The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people,” the statement said. “Director Wray and Deputy Director Abbate have taken strong actions toward achieving accountability in the areas mentioned in the letter and remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work of the FBI.”
If Wray steps down, it’s likely that current Deputy Director Paul Abbate will serve as acting director until Trump’s nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
