On Wednesday, Christopher Wray announced that he is resigning as director of the FBI.
"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 announced. "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."
"It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," he added. "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."
President-elect Donald Trump hailed Wray’s resignation as a “great day for America,” which would mark the end of the “Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.”
He also vowed to restore the rule of law under his new administration. “I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation, so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin.”
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If you assumed Christopher Wray’s resignation meant a quiet exit, think again. Reports suggest Wray is actively promoting loyalists within the bureau, embedding establishment figures even deeper into the FBI. The move appears to be a calculated effort to sabotage Kash Patel’s expected plans to overhaul the agency and implement meaningful reforms at the nation’s top law enforcement institution.
Sources within the bureau said Mr. Wray has begun promoting employees among the senior executive service, those who serve within the bureau’s leadership. These sources described this as an effort to burrow establishment figures deeper within the FBI.
Sources said a plan is being formulated to delay the new FBI director’s entry into the agency for three to four months.
Given the FBI’s tense history with Mr. Trump since the 2016 presidential campaign, such a strategy is risky.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen efforts to “Trump-proof” federal agencies. In fact, reports from August revealed that the Biden-Harris administration had utilized a little-known hiring mechanism to strategically place personnel in key divisions of the Department of Justice ahead of the 2024 election. The apparent goal was to shield the department from any future attempts at reform under a potential Trump administration.
“The Biden-Harris administration and its allies have already signaled their intent to hamstring their successor and prevent a future president from reversing their agenda,” Protect the Public’s Trust Director Michael Chamberlain said at the time. “Exploiting non-competitive hiring authorities to fill career civil service positions could be just another component of this scheme. It’s no wonder that the public’s trust in its government has all but disappeared.”
This week, Kash Patel is meeting with Senate offices on Capitol Hill to rally support for his nomination. Despite reports of Christopher Wray’s efforts to sabotage Patel’s reform efforts, the nominee appears optimistic. “I look forward to a smooth transition," he said. "I will be ready to serve the American people on day one.”
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