By Eric Tucker | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job.
At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought.”
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Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Trump had picked Patel for the role in his new administration.
Wray had previously been named by Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey.
Trump had telegraphed his anger with Wray on multiple occasions, including after Wray’s congressional testimony in September. But the soft-spoken director rarely seemed to go out of his way to publicly confront the White House.