FBI Director Christopher Wray has announced his decision to resign at the end of US President Joe Biden’s term in January, paving the way for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee Indian-American Kash Patel to take charge of the country’s top investigating agency.
The move has been welcomed by Trump.
“After weeks of careful thought, I have 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 told his FBI colleagues during a town hall here on Wednesday.
On November 30, Trump nominated his loyalist and staunch supporter Patel as the next FBI director, thus cutting short Wray’s 10-year term by three years. Wray was appointed by Trump during his first term in 2017.
The FBI director told his colleagues that his goal is to keep the focus on the mission — “the indispensable work they are doing on behalf of the American people every day”.
“And 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,” Wray said.