WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.”
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.
Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
