FBI Director Chris Wray to Resign Before Trump Takes Office

(Patria) - Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray will resign at the end of the Biden administration's term, the FBI announced.

President-elect Donald Trump previously announced he would nominate Kash Patel for the director position, even though Wray still had three years left in his ten-year term.

- After weeks of careful thought, I have decided that the right thing for the FBI is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down.

My goal is to keep the focus on our mission - the indispensable work you do every day on behalf of the American people.

In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the FBI deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to our work.

It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway - this is not easy for me. I love this place, our mission, and our people - but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what is right for the FBI - Wray told his subordinates.

Wray took the helm of the agency after Trump fired James Comey, the then-director who led the investigation into Russian interference in the US presidential election, in 2017.

Many lawmakers considered Wray a good choice for stability as the new director, but he ultimately suffered a similar fate to his predecessor.

After the election victory, Trump promised to get rid of Wray and replace him with Patel, his loyalist who vowed to root out the "deep state."

Under Wray, the FBI conducted the largest investigation in its long history after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The investigation led to the arrest of more than 1,500 people charged with violating the law that day.