FBI Director Christopher Wray announced Wednesday that he will resign in time for President Donald Trump's inauguration, scheduled for January.
He announced his decision at an internal meeting for FBI employees, and only the media reported it to the public.
“We want to avoid involving the FBI in the conflict,” Wray said.
“After several weeks of careful consideration, I have decided that the right thing to do for the Department is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January, and then resign… to avoid drawing the Department even deeper into the conflict. That's the best way to avoid it, he reportedly said.
Wray was referring to President Trump's expected resignation after he took office, announcing the appointment of Kashyap Patel as FBI director.
– It's not easy for me. I love this place, our mission, and our people. But my focus has always been on doing what's right for the FBI, Chris Wray said.
Mr. Wray was appointed by President Trump in August 2017 for a 10-year term. He oversaw the agency in a “tight security environment,” including during the FBI investigation into Trump's mishandling of government documents during his first term.
President Trump has already fired the FBI director once.
The FBI in the United States is the primary federal crime law enforcement agency and the primary counterintelligence agency. In 1976, the US Congress introduced 10-year terms to prevent politicians from influencing the FBI. It was the aftermath of Watergate.
Still, since the law was introduced, two FBI directors have been fired before their terms expired. The first was during Bill Clinton's term in 1993, and the second was by Donald Trump in 2017.
At the time, the FBI was investigating Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, and Trump justified his decision. He tampered with the investigation into Hillary Clinton's alleged use of private e-mail for state affairs.
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