President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Christopher Wray, isn’t a familiar name on Capitol Hill and lawmakers had little to say about the choice when the news broke early Wednesday.
“I don’t know the guy,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said when asked about the former assistant attorney general.
Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, was among the many House Republicans who said they are unfamiliar with Wray, who is a partner at the D.C. law firm King and Spalding, overseeing government investigations.
“I just know of him, nothing in particular,” King said.
King later said Wray appeared to be “a good choice,” and then dismissed criticism that Wray had served as an attorney for Gov. Chris Christie in the “bridgegate” case, in which Christie’s staff was accused of punishing a Democratic mayor by blocking lanes on the George Washington Bridge.
“Lawyers are lawyers, it doesn’t mean anything,” King said.
Ryan said Trump did not consult with him about the choice, but he has looked at Wray’s resume.
“He seems to me the perfect kind of person,” Ryan said. “I thought we should have career person take over the FBI, someone with a deep bench of experience. He certainly seems to fit that bill.”
House lawmakers don’t have any say in the matter. Wray and all executive branch picks must be confirmed by a simple majority in the Senate.
