Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, the American federal police, whom Donald Trump wants to replace with one of his close friends, announced Wednesday that he would resign in January.
Mr. Wray, in office since August 2017 and whose mandate ends in 2027, informed FBI employees of his decision on Wednesday, the federal police said in a press release.
The American president-elect announced in early December his intention to appoint Kash Patel, a loyalist, as head of the FBI, the target of virulent attacks from conservatives.
“After several weeks of careful consideration, I have decided that the best thing for the FBI is for me to remain in office until the end of the current administration and then to resign,” Christopher Wray was quoted as saying in the press release. .
“My goal is to maintain our focus on our mission, the essential work you do every day for the American people. In my opinion, this is the best way to avoid pushing the FBI even further into the political fray,” he added.
Donald Trump had, during his first term, appointed Christopher Wray to succeed James Comey, who became his bête noire for having investigated his alleged links with Russia, accused of interference during his election in 2016.
But the FBI investigation into the assault on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 made the more than century-old institution a target of unprecedented attacks. The federal police, rather conservative, had until now always been supported by the political class.
These criticisms, in which Donald Trump participated, were notably fueled by the search of the president-elect’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida (southeast) in 2022, where the federal police had seized “top secret” documents.
