Another FBI chief could soon be forced out.
President Trump said the “jury is still out” with regard to FBI Director Christopher Wray during an appearance Friday on Fox & Friends.
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He said Wray was “recommended” by former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 campaign after Trump fired his previous FBI director, James Comey, in May 2017. Trump also said former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie played a role in the process of picking Wray for the job.
In recent weeks, Republicans have become increasingly frustrated with Wray after it took a U.S. attorney appointed by Attorney General William Barr to pry open secrets about the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, particularly information related to the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Trump said he told Barr to “handle it,” but he also said, “In theory, I’m chief law enforcement officer.”
After the Justice Department filed to dismiss the case against Flynn, Barr defended Wray in an interview with CBS News. He said the FBI director has “been very helpful” to various investigations, including U.S. Attorney John Durham’s review of the Russia investigation.
“There are a lot of cases in the Department of Justice, and I don’t consider it the director’s responsibility to make sure that all the documents are produced in each case. So I don’t — I wouldn’t say that this has affected my confidence in Director Wray,” he said.
Trump nominated Wray to take over the FBI after he fired Comey.
