FBI Director Christopher Wray, who has been under fire from newly elected President Donald Trump in recent years, told FBI officials during a meeting on Wednesday that he would resign, NBC News reports.
Wray said he would resign by the end of President Joe Biden’s administration.
“My goal is to keep the focus on our mission – the essential work you do every day for the American people,” he told employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid drawing the agency deeper into the fray, while at the same time reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to the way we do our work.”
Wray was reportedly expected to resign before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Last month, Trump said he wanted MAGA loyalist Kash Patel to lead the agency during his second term, which would require Wray to resign or be fired.
Wray told employees that the decision was “not an easy one,” but that he was focused on “doing what is right for the FBI.”
“When you look at where the threats are going, it’s clear that the importance of our work — keeping Americans safe and upholding the Constitution — is not going to change,” he said. “And what absolutely cannot and should not change is our commitment to doing the right thing, the right way, every time.”
Wray was nominated by Trump to lead the agency in 2017 and had three years left in his 10-year term, had he remained in Trump’s good graces. But the FBI’s role in Trump’s criminal cases angered the newly elected president, leading him to make baseless accusations that federal law enforcement was being weaponized against him.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Trump said he was not “enthusiastic” about Wray. “He invaded my house. I’m suing the country about it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said. “I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done, and crime is at an all-time high.”
Many Republican lawmakers have echoed Trump’s attacks on the FBI — and Wray in particular — as they have tried to portray the president-elect as a victim of a politicized justice system. On Monday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged Wray to resign in a letter, saying he had a “vote of no confidence” in the FBI director.
This is a development story. Check back for updates.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
