Wray Resigns In Disgrace After Using FBI To Persecute Enemies And Protect Lawbreakers
FBI Director Christopher Wray, who led the agency in its persecution of political opponents, has announced plans to resign.FBI Director Christopher Wray, who led the agency in its persecution of political opponents, has announced plans to resign.Breaking: FBI Director Wray confirms he will resign before Trump's inauguration
FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed Wednesday that he will be resigning from his post before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Wray announced he will resign just seven years into his 10-year term in the aftermath of external pressure for him to step down, most notably from Trump. Trump has instead decided to nominate Kash Patel for the role, indicating to Wray that he would either have to resign early or be fired.
'It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me.'
"My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work," Wray said.
“It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," he continued. "I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI."
Trump nominated Wray to take over as FBI director in 2017 during his first presidential term. At the time, Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey after he launched the now-debunked investigation into the Russia hoax in 2016.
Wray was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in 2017, but this time around, Trump's nominees may have a harder time.
Patel himself has taken to the Hill this week to meet with senators and to lock down the votes for his confirmation. Other Trump nominees, most notably Pete Hegseth, who was nominated to head the Department of Defense, have faced their fair share of scrutiny and pushback from establishment Republicans in the Senate.
Trump's nominees like Patel and Hegseth can afford to lose only three votes from Republicans, assuming that Vice President-elect JD Vance participates in the vote as a tie-breaker.
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‘It will seal his fate’: Rand Paul GOES OFF on rumor that Biden will pardon Dr. Fauci
Rumors have begun circulating that President Biden will issue preemptive pardons for many people he believes Donald Trump will go after as president — including Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“It doesn’t seem like you could do that, but they’ll try it anyway,” Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” tells guest Senator Rand Paul.
“I’ve sent referrals, criminal referrals, on Anthony Fauci twice to the Department of Justice without really a response. Merrick Garland hasn’t done his job; he’s probably been the most partisan attorney general we’ve ever had. I will send those referrals again if they preemptively pardon Anthony Fauci,” Paul explains.
“It will seal his fate as the architect, author, and godfather of the pandemic,” Paul continues. “He’s the one that funded it; he’s the one that funded the research in Wuhan; he’s the one that allowed the research not to be scrutinized.”
“There was a safety committee that was supposed to scrutinize dangerous research. It was set up because of fear of exactly this happening. There have been scientists talking about this for 20 years, worried that this is going to happen. Anthony Fauci sidestepped the safety committee and allowed this research to go on,” he explains.
“Then when it came forward that he had done it, he was like, ‘Oh, nothing to see here, we didn’t really do it. Oh, well, we funded EcoHealth, and they funded Wuhan, but oh, nothing to see here,’” he continues. “And then he had the gall to say it wasn’t gain-of-function and it wasn’t dangerous. That’s a lie.”
Which is why Paul doesn’t believe a presidential pardon will do much for Fauci at this point.
“If the president pardons him, I think it’ll just cement his role in history as being the architect of gain-of-function,” Paul tells Glenn, who believes that this is where Trump’s appointed FBI director, Kash Patel, can come in.
“I hope he releases just the raw evidence that has been gathered,” Glenn says. “You know, kind of like the Twitter files, where we can see all the stuff that has been classified that should be seen by the American people.”
“The FBI did do their job. They did a report, and they said that they thought COVID came from a lab, that the virus or the pandemic started with a lab leak, but they haven’t released their report. They’ve been told to declassify it,” Paul says, adding, “I truly believe Kash Patel will look at that.”
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Joni Ernst gives warm welcome to Trump nominees despite giving Hegseth the cold shoulder
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has held meetings with several of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees over the last few weeks, some of whom have had better reception than others.
On Monday, Ernst met with Tulsi Gabbard, who is nominated for director of national intelligence, and Kash Patel, who is nominated for director of the FBI. Ernst gave positive remarks about both candidates, calling Gabbard a "strong and proven leader" as well as praising Patel's experience, saying he "will create much-needed transparency" and that he shares her "passion for shaking up federal agencies."
While Ernst has had kind words for some nominees, she refrained from making similar comments last week about Pete Hegseth, whom Trump nominated to lead the Department of Defense.
One source told Blaze News that Ernst has served as a 'useful proxy' for former leader Mitch McConnell and other old guard Senate Republicans, effectively going against the grain of the incoming administration.
After the first meeting between Ernst and Hegseth, the senator held back from endorsing the nominee but rather reiterated that they had a "frank and thorough conversation."
Speculation swirled about Ernst's possible disapproval of Hegseth. The surface-level assumption was that Ernst, who has spent her career fighting against sexual assault in the military, was unable to reconcile her advocacy with the allegations surrounding Hegseth.
However, sources close to the Senate revealed to Blaze News that there may be a deeper underlying motive. Multiple sources close to the Senate confirmed to Blaze News that Ernst was actively lobbying against Hegseth's nomination. One source told Blaze News that Ernst has served as a "useful proxy" for former leader Mitch McConnell and other old guard Senate Republicans, effectively going against the grain of the incoming administration.
Her hesitation to endorse Hegseth sparked an immense pressure campaign from Trump's allies. As a result, Ernst eventually committed to meeting with Hegseth again and insisted that "he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing."
Ernst is expected to meet with Hegseth again on Monday.
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Trump minces no words when asked if he will fire FBI Director Christopher Wray: 'He invaded my home'
President-elect Donald Trump spoke to NBC News' Kristen Welker for over an hour Sunday, detailing what he intends to do on his first days in office. When asked whether he actually intends to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray — whose term does not expire until 2027 — Trump answered in the affirmative and provided a damning justification.
"I can't say I'm thrilled with him," Trump told Welker. "He invaded my home. I'm suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I'm very unhappy with the things he's done."
The FBI raided Trump's Palm Beach residence in August 2022 — something the bureau did not similarly do when investigating Biden over his admitted transport and possession of classified documents. Following the raid — which Wray later suggested was not a raid at all — Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland illegally appointed Jack Smith as a special prosecutor to investigate Trump's retention of government documents at his home in Florida. While Smith brought 37 felony counts against Trump, the case was ultimately dismissed.
In August 2024, Trump attorney Daniel Epstein filed a notice of intent to sue the DOJ for $100 million. Epstein noted in the administrative tort claim that Garland and Wray's decisions pertaining to the raid "were inconsistent with protocols requiring the consent of an investigative target, disclosure to that individual's attorneys, and the use of the local U.S. Attorney's Office."
'In the history of our country, nothing like this has ever happened.'
"Garland and Wray's decisions regarding the Mar-a-Lago raid were not grounded in 'social, economic, and political policy' but in clear dereliction of constitutional principles, inconsistent standards as applied to the prospective plaintiff, and a clear intent to engage in political persecution," continued Epstein. "Attorney General Garland, FBI Director Wray, and Special Counsel Smith's targeting, indictment, and harassment of President Trump has always been a malicious political prosecution aimed at affecting an electoral outcome to prevent President Trump from being re-elected."
Extra to taking issue with the raid, which may end up costing the the U.S. government a significant sum, Trump suggested to Welker Sunday that high crime rates and Wray's comments about the Butler shooting further spiked his confidence in the current FBI director.
"When I was shot in the ear, [Wray] said, 'Oh, maybe it was shrapnel.' Where's the shrapnel coming from? Is it coming from heaven? I don't think so," said Trump. "We need somebody to straighten — you know, I have a lot of respect for the FBI, but the FBI's respect has gone way down over the last number of years."
Despite having spoken at length earlier in the interview about Trump's pick of Kash Patel for his next FBI director, Welker asked about the technical necessity of canning Wray.
"It would sort of seem pretty obvious that if Kash gets in, he's going to be taking somebody's place," Trump responded. "Right? That somebody is the man that you're talking about."
Welker repeatedly attempted to goad Trump into stating that he would direct Patel to go after his political opponents, but Trump underscored that when it comes to his proposed FBI director as well as with his proposed attorney general, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, he will take a hands-off approach.
"He's going to do what he thinks is right," said Trump. "If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or [a] corrupt politician, I think he probably has an obligation to do it."
While emphasizing it would be up to Bondi and Patel to take action, Trump nevertheless reiterated his displeasure with the current DOJ and FBI.
"What they've done to me with weaponization is a disgrace," said Trump. "In the history of our country, nothing like this has ever happened. And I've won these cases. I've won every one, and the rest are in the process of being won. Deranged Jack Smith is on his way back to the Hague where he can execute people. This is where he should have stayed. ... I think he's dangerous even being there."
Following Trump's Nov. 30 announcement that he would nominate Patel, Wray's potential replacement shared the following statement: "It is the honor of a lifetime to be nominated by President Trump to serve as Director of the FBI. Together, we will restore integrity, accountability, and equal justice to our justice system and return the FBI to its rightful mission: protecting the American people."
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Whistleblower explains why Kash Patel is THE guy to fix the FBI
One of Donald Trump’s most exciting picks for his incoming administration is Kash Patel, who will lead the FBI.
And FBI whistleblower Steve Friend is thrilled by the pick.
“I’ve been on record for a long time now believing that the FBI has to be shattered into a thousand pieces and scattered to the wind,” Friend tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.”
“If there is one person, though, who can possibly make the demo into a reno, it is Kash Patel,” he continues.
“He brings a great perspective being someone who is not just a prosecutor who actually helped prosecute the war on terrorism over at JSOC and saw intelligence and rooted out the corruption when he was part of the Russiagate expose that went on, but he’s also a public defender, which is very unique because historically, the FBI director is a federal prosecutor,” he explains.
Because of his unique skill set, Friend believes that “he has a healthy respect for the amount of power that is at the fingertips of the FBI.”
“The fact that they’re able to take people’s freedom away, if they indeed make the process the punishment, that they’re able to do that,” he continues, adding, “So I’m really enthused by that.”
Friend has been in “back channel conversations with him” and knows that Patel is “willing to take up things like ‘let’s get rid of the intelligence apparatus that exists for the FBI.’”
“There’s no reason they need to be spying on the American people. They’re a police force, they shouldn’t be a secret police force,” Friend says, noting that Patel “needs to get rid of the quota system.”
“The fact that the FBI is rewarding and incentivizing agents, senior executives, to push on their underlings to go and arrest the right number of people or open the right number of cases so that they can get five-figure bonuses,” he comments, disturbed. “And let’s revamp the way we’re doing our hiring practices so that we’re merit-based.”
“And I just have to point to the last three position holders over at the FBI directorship,” he continues, noting James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Christopher Wray, who were all working against Trump and the American people for the last few years.
“It’s hardly a nonpartisan position at this point, and the fact that Kash Patel is wearing his politics on his sleeve, I think is actually just refreshing. Because it’s transparent,” he adds.
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