FBI director says he will step down before Trump takes office

WASHINGTON

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday he would resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, cutting short his 10-year term.

Wray has been a central target of Trump's consternation, with the incoming president blaming him for the 2022 FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate that turned up classified documents Trump kept after he left office in 2021.

Last month, the president-elect announced that he would nominate former prosecutor Kash Patel to replace Wray, who is just seven years into his term.

Wray told FBI employees he would step down at the end of President Joe Biden's term during a townhall, describing his decision as an effort to aid the bureau.

“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 said, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the bureau.

"This is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI," he added.

Trump nominated Wray to fill the shoes of James Comey, another FBI chief with whom Trump took issue during his first term, ultimately firing Comey.

"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. I just don’t know what happened to him," Trump said on his proprietary social media website.

"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," he added.