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Christopher Wray, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), says he will resign from his position before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.
Wray announced his imminent departure at an internal FBI meeting on Wednesday, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
President-elect Donald Trump has publicly stated his desire to replace Wray with Kash Patel, a longtime loyal supporter who has called for the FBI’s authority to be “dramatically” limited.
Wray, who was nominated by Trump in 2017 to serve a 10-year term, has faced criticism during his tenure from Republicans over FBI investigations into Trump after he left office.
Speaking at the FBI meeting on Wednesday, Wray said: “After weeks of careful thought, I have decided that the right thing for the office to do is to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then resign.”
“My goal is to keep the focus on our mission: the indispensable work you do on behalf of the American people every day,” he told his colleagues.
“In my opinion, this is the best way to avoid dragging the office into a more complicated situation, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to the way we do our work,” said Mr Wray .
He also addressed the FBI’s mission in his comments, saying the bureau’s goal of “keeping Americans safe and defending the Constitution” will not change.
Trump appointed Wray to lead the FBI after firing his predecessor James Comey following FBI investigations into alleged contacts between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
But in recent years, Wray has fallen out of favor with the president-elect after the FBI helped with a federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, a case that has since been dropped.
Upon his election to a second term, Trump said his choice for FBI director would be Patel, a former aide who has been a strong supporter of the incoming Republican president.
