President Donald Trump has just announced that he will be nominating Christopher A. Wray to be the new FBI Director, following the unexpected and controversial firing of James Comey.
Christopher Wray, a Yale Law school graduate, is currently a partner at an international law firm, King & Spalding. From 2003 to 2005, Wray served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice, ironically under former FBI Director James Comey. Comey was the Deputy Attorney General and worked closely with Wray on many cases for the 2 year period that Wray was employed with the Department of Justice. Wray had gained this nomination from President George W. Bush. Prior to this position, he served as a federal prosecutor in Atlanta.
Trump described him as having “impeccable credentials”, and he certainly has had a wide range of experience in the field of law enforcement and government investigations. In 2002, as Assistant Attorney General, Wray led the investigation into the Enrob Probe, the corporate fraud scandal that severely impacted the financial market. He also successfully represented Governor Chris Christie in the controversial investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closing incident, which was labelled as a political attack.
“I am proud to announce Christopher as my choice as the Director of the FBI. During his previous service at the Department of Justice, Christopher was the leader of major fraud investigations, and was a key part of the team overseeing the Justice Department’s actions in the war on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks,” said President Trump. “He is an impeccably qualified individual, and I know that he will again serve his country as a fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity once the Senate confirms him to lead the FBI.”
Wray had also been involved within the Department of Justice’s investigations into 9/11 and the War on Terror, and has since been awarded the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Department of Justice’s highest public service award.
Wray respectfully accepted this nomination and expressed his commitment to serving the nation and this position with “integrity”, perhaps making an ode to the current controversy around former FBI Director – James Comey’s disputable character as he served his position.
Trump’s timing of this announcement has been called into question, with many raising concerns that it was either an attempt to distract from the ongoing trial, where Comey is expected to make his much-anticipated testimonial today or to give a sense of integrity to a series of decisions from Trump that have reeked with controversy.