FBI Director Christoper Wray gave his agency a final directive in his farewell speech before Donald Trump returned to power: stay independent and stay away from politics.
“We must maintain our independence and objectivity and stay above partisanship and politics,” Wray said. “Because that’s what the American people expect and, I think, that’s what they deserve.”
Wray did not mention President-elect Donald Trump by name, but his presence loomed over the event. The former president’s resurgence puts the agency at risk. During his campaign, Trump pledged to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” President Joe Biden and his family, suggesting that many of his political enemies deserve close law enforcement scrutiny.
Trump has long blamed Wray for what he sees as the FBI’s weaponization against him and announced after winning the November election that he would fire him. Wray then resigned.
On Friday afternoon, Wray urged FBI personnel to maintain their independence and objectivity and “stay above partisanship and politics.”
“Whatever happens, here we must remain committed to doing our job the right way every time, with professionalism, accuracy and integrity,” he said from the agency’s headquarters. “That means following the facts wherever they lead, regardless of who likes it – or not. Believe me, if I’ve learned anything in this job, there’s always someone who doesn’t like it.”
None of the dozens of speakers at the farewell ceremony mentioned Trump directly. But Attorney General Merrick Garland, who spoke first, reminded the audience — made up of FBI nationwide personnel listening via livestream — of the importance of resisting undue influence.
“That independence is critical to preserving the rule of law and protecting the freedoms we hold dear as Americans,” he said.
Other speakers praised Wray for his work to strengthen ties with state and local law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and foreign partners. CIA Director William Burns said the agency has deepened its integration with the FBI under Wray’s leadership, and joked that his subordinates had stopped grumbling about the agency. Buffalo Police Chief Joseph Gramaglia praised the FBI’s response to a racist mass shooting at a supermarket that left 10 black people dead. And Kenneth McCallum, the head of Britain’s domestic spy agency MI5, praised Wray’s work to strengthen the transatlantic partnership.
The atmosphere at the ceremony – held in a chilly room at the FBI’s hulking headquarters in downtown Washington – was warm and friendly, with attendees laughing easily at the speakers’ jokes. Wray’s family was in attendance and received prolonged applause.
The in-person audience also included other people who had firsthand experience enduring criticism of federal law enforcement. Rod Rosenstein, who served as deputy attorney general for part of Trump’s first term, was there; he faced intense scolding from the now president-elect for his oversight of the Russia investigation.
And Rob Hur, the special counsel who investigated Biden for improper possession of classified materials, was also in the audience. Hur’s report on that investigation drew condemnation from national Democrats, saying Biden’s mental faculties appeared to be declining. The White House responded by launching an all-out press campaign against him, but Biden later ended his re-election bid after a miserable debate that appeared to confirm Hur’s findings.
Republican former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of Wray’s most famous clients from his private practice, was also in attendance. Wray represented him during the ‘Bridgegate’ investigation, and Christie later advised Trump to give Wray the job. Trump has since turned on both men.
