Current FBI Director Christopher Wray announced Wednesday that he will step down when President Joe Biden’s term ends in January, a move that drew criticism from the watchdog group Public Citizen.
Robert Wiseman, co-president of Public Citizen, said Wray’s plan to resign comes in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of firing him.
“There’s a reason FBI Directors are given 10-year terms to protect them from political pressure. To protect the FBI’s all-important independence, Director Wray has made it clear that Donald Trump will fire him. “He should not pre-emptively resign in the face of Trump’s malicious threats,” Wiseman said. said in a statement.
Patel, who served as chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller at the end of Trump’s first term, was described by the Associated Press earlier this year as a “trusted aide who mythologized the former president while promoting conspiracy theories.” He was characterized as an “actual and dignified campaign agent.” And his own brand. ”
Some of Mr. Patel’s past statements have alarmed critics, who fear that he is trying to weaponize government institutions to attack Mr. Trump’s political opponents and media critics.
“We’re going to go after the co-conspirators, not just in the government, but in the media. Yes, we’re going to go after the people in the media who lied about the American people and helped Joe Biden rig the presidential election.” he said. He spoke on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast last year.
“If Donald Trump were to fire (Wray), that’s fine, but Wray should not resign beforehand and aid or abet efforts to weaponize the FBI,” Wiseman said. said.
Wiseman wasn’t the only one to criticize Wray along these lines: “A courageous man, but Chris Wray is not. Wray succumbed to political pressure. Early resignation is the easy solution. Trump. “He fired him, avoiding the public conversations that a president would inevitably have,” wrote Anthony Cawley, an analyst at NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC.
According to the New York Times, in announcing his decision to step down, Wray said the choice “avoids dragging the bureau deeper into conflict, while at the same time honoring the values and principles that are so important to the way we work.” “This is the best way to strengthen the .
He said with a melancholy tone. “This is not easy for me,” Ray said, according to the newspaper. “I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people.”
