FBI Director Christopher Wray said he has been “almost taken aback” by the appreciation the American people have shown for the FBI, an agency that has faced a great deal of scrutiny from President Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“People talk about criticism, and that inevitably raises questions about things like brand,” Wray told USA Today in an interview published Tuesday. “What I try to tell our folks is that while there are a lot of opinions out there about us, the opinions that really matter are the opinions of a jury when one of our agents takes the stand or a judge when he’s being presented with a warrant or community leaders who are working side-by-wide with our people.”
The FBI director said the bureau still has a strong reputation outside the nation’s capital, where the FBI has been accused of being biased against Trump by both Republican lawmakers and the president himself.
“Our brand — with those people — couldn’t be higher. The appreciation we get … I’ve been almost taken aback, but in a good way,” Wray said.
Trump tapped Wray to lead the FBI after firing former FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. Since then, the bureau has often been the target of the president’s ire.
Last week, Trump said allegations members of his campaign colluded with Russian officials was “all made up by this den of thieves of lowlifes,” a reference to Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Trump also accused Comey and McCabe of committing “many crimes.”
The president said in December the FBI’s “reputation is in tatters — worse in history” and, when describing the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Russian meddling, said its behavior is “really, really disgraceful.”
