FBI Director Christopher A. Wray plans to resign on or before Inauguration Day, The Washington Times has learned. Wray is calling it quits because he doesn’t want to get fired by President-elect Donald Trump, according to sources inside the bureau who are familiar with the director’s thinking. “He’s going to be gone at the inauguration. On or before the inauguration,” a source said.
After Wray steps down, Deputy Director Paul Abbate will assume the role of acting director and will designate an acting deputy director. Initially, Abbate planned to remain in his position until May or June to aid in the transition to a new FBI director. Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, is scheduled to meet with Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week. Patel, who has previously served as the Defense Secretary’s chief of staff and as a senior adviser to the National Security Council, was selected by Trump to revamp FBI management.
Mr. Wray was aware that his tenure at the FBI was coming to an end. Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican slated to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee next month, issued a harsh letter to Wray on Monday. In the letter, Grassley demanded that Wray be removed from his position as FBI director before the end of his 10-year term and also called for the dismissal of Abbate, the Times reported. Grassley’s letter altered Abbate’s original plans, leading him to seek a new candidate for the acting deputy director position, according to the outlet.
“For the good of the country, it’s time for you and your deputy to move on to the next chapter in your lives,” Mr. Grassley wrote in the letter to Wray. “I therefore must express my vote of no confidence in your continued leadership of the FBI.” Grassley, a foremost advocate for whistleblower protections, has frequently confronted the FBI regarding reports of power abuses and other misconduct within the bureau. The accusations encompass politically motivated investigations and an unusual sequence of events in which the FBI seemingly sought to discredit both Grassley and Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin as they conducted inquiries into the Biden family.
The raid on Trump’s home, where agents searched for classified documents, significantly influenced Grassley’s complaints, the Times noted. “In that raid, roughly 30 armed agents entered the home of a former president of the United States, with full authorization to use lethal force if needed to execute its warrant, and even searched the former First Lady’s clothing drawers,” Grassley wrote.
