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President-elect Donald Trump has responded after FBI Director Christopher Wray announced on Wednesday his decision to step down from his post, likely ahead of Inauguration Day.
Wray’s decision comes after the president-elect’s announcement last month that would nominate former federal prosecutor and national security expert Kash Patel to become FBI director. Patel held a position at the National Security Council during Trump’s first term.
Trump said that Wray’s resignation is a “great day” for the country while pledging to restore integrity at the FBI and wider Department of Justice after both agencies appear to have been politically weaponized under Biden-Harris, as evidenced by the DOJ’s two cases against the president-elect.
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “I just don’t know what happened to him.”
Trump said his administration “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,” Trump added. “They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them.”
He then turned his attention to Patel.
“Kash Patel is the most qualified nominee to lead the FBI in the Agency’s History, and is committed to helping ensure that Law, Order, and Justice will be brought back to our Country again, and soon,” Trump told Fox. “As everyone knows, I have 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,” he continued. “I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation, so that the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin.”
Patel served as senior counsel on counterterrorism for the House Select Committee on Intelligence in 2017 and later as senior director of the Counterterrorism Directorate at the U.S. National Security Council in 2019. He was also a senior aide to then-Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) during Nunes’s tenure as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. In this role, Patel played a pivotal part in assisting Republicans with investigations into what turned out to be false accusations of Trump-Russian ‘collusion’ during the 2016 election.
In February 2019, Patel joined then-President Trump’s National Security Council (NSC) as a staffer in the International Organizations and Alliances directorate. By July 2019, he was promoted to Senior Director of the Counterterrorism Directorate, a newly created position tailored for him.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Patel spearheaded a secret mission to Damascus in early 2020 to negotiate the release of Majd Kamalmaz and journalist Austin Tice, both detained by the Syrian government.
In February 2020, Patel transitioned to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where he served as Acting Director Richard Grenell’s principal deputy. Later that month, Patel joined Trump’s delegation during a state visit to India, earning attention as one of two Americans of Indian descent to accompany the president.
During a town hall on Wednesday, Wray announced his plans to resign next month.
“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 during the town hall. “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,” he added.
Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 after the then-president fired James Comey for malfeasance, is seven years into his 10-year term.
