WASHINGTON — FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to resign at the end of the Biden administration, as President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Wray told bureau employees on Wednesday.
“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," Wray said, according to prepared remarks. "My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. 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.”
Trump has already said he will nominate Kash Patel for the position of FBI director, which typically is for a 10-year term, part of a post-Watergate reform intended to make FBI directors less beholden to the whims of presidents.
A senior FBI official told NBC News that the current plan is for Christopher Wray to stay on as FBI director until Jan. 20, when the new administration takes over.
After that, current FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate will be named acting director and will stay on until a new FBI director is confirmed.
Trump indicated in a recent interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" that he wasn't "thrilled" with Wray, saying that Wray "invaded Mar-a-Lago" — a reference to the 2022 FBI search for classified documents that led to Trump's 2023 indictment on seven criminal charges — and that he wanted someone in place to "straighten" out the bureau.
"I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious that if Kash gets in, he’s going to be taking somebody’s place, right?" Trump said, responding to a question about whether he would fire Wray if he didn't resign on his own.
Wray, a Republican, was appointed by Trump in 2017 after the then-president fired James Comey as FBI director. Comey's departure sparked the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election. Under normal protocol, Wray's term would expire in 2027, although Mueller is the only person to have served a full term as FBI director since the 10-year post-Watergate norm was put in place. Only two FBI directors (including Comey) have been pushed out.
Republican confidence in the FBI has plummeted in the near-decade since Trump came down the golden escalator in 2015 and announced his run for president of the United States. While the bureau has traditionally been a generally conservative-leaning organization filled with law enforcement and military veterans (who have an advantage in the FBI hiring process), Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill and in the conservative media have portrayed the FBI as a hotbed of liberalism and the home of the "deep state" determined to take him down.
While most of the FBI's work takes place far afield of daily politics, much of the public discussion of the bureau's work in recent years has centered on political cases, many of them involving Trump.
Trump wrote on his social media website that Wray’s departure would be “a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.”
“I just don’t know what happened to him,” Trump wrote about the man he chose to become FBI director after he fired Comey. “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.”
Wray said Wednesday that it was not an easy decision to resign.
"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," he said. “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. And what absolutely cannot, must not change is our commitment to doing the right thing, the right way, every time.
"Our adherence to our core values, our dedication to independence and objectivity, and our defense of the rule of law — those fundamental aspects of who we are must never change," Wray continued. "That’s the real strength of the FBI — the importance of our mission, the quality of our people, and their dedication to service over self. It’s an unshakeable foundation that’s stood the test of time, and cannot be easily moved. And it — you, the men and women of the FBI — are why the Bureau will endure and remain successful long into the future.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wray had "served our country honorably and with integrity for decades, including for seven years as the Director of the FBI under presidents of both parties."
The FBI director is "responsible for protecting the independence of the FBI from inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations," Garland continued, saying it is "central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear" for the FBI to maintain its independence.
Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), thanked Wray in a statement for his leadership "through challenging times with a steady focus on doing the work that keeps our country safe."
FBI special agents, Bara said, "will always be focused on our vital mission — protecting this great nation, safeguarding communities and upholding the U.S. Constitution. This commitment is at the core of who we are as Special Agents, and it does not waver when there are changes in a presidential administration or when the leadership in the Bureau changes."
Bara said the FBIAA "welcomes the opportunity to meet with President-elect Trump’s team to discuss the perspectives and priorities of rank-and-file FBI Special Agents."
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., thanked Wray "for his service to our nation, and all the men and women of the FBI for their continued efforts to protect our security and liberty," warning that the bureau would "soon embark on a perilous new era with serious questions about its future."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who wrote a letter this week urging Wray to "move on" from his job, said Wray's "departure is an opportunity for a new era of transparency and accountability at the FBI."
A source familiar with the Trump transition team’s thinking said the team "is confident in Kash Patel and confident he will be ready to serve the American people on Day One."
Patel, who was meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday ahead of an expected confirmation vote next year, said he looks forward "to a very smooth transition," adding: "I’ll be ready to go on day one. The Senators have been wonderful, and I look to earning their trust and confidence in the advice and consent process and restoring law and order and integrity at the FBI."
Trump said on Truth Social that he has "great respect for the rank-and-file of the FBI, and they have great respect for me. They want to see these changes every bit as much as I do but, more importantly, the American People are demanding a strong, but fair, System of Justice. We want our FBI back, and that will now happen. I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation, so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin."
