FBI Director Christopher Wray is getting a new chief of staff, replacing a Comey-era holdover.
James Rybicki, who served former FBI Director James Comey, will leave for the corporate sector, Wray announced Tuesday.
“Jim Rybicki notified me last month that he will be leaving the FBI to accept an opportunity in the corporate sector. While this is an exciting move for the whole Rybicki family, Jim will be dearly missed by the FBI family – and by me personally,” Wray said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Wray added. Rybicki’s “level-headed judgment and earnest professionalism, and his steady good cheer” have been an asset to not just the FBI and Justice Department, but “have contributed greatly to the safety and security of our nation.”
Zachary Harmon, who was most recently a partner at the King & Spalding law firm in Washington specializing in “government investigations and regulatory enforcement proceedings,” will succeed Rybicki.
According to Wray, he has worked with Harmon in private practice previously, and noted he has also worked in the Justice Department.
Rybicki has come under fire from Republican lawmakers due to his closeness to Comey. He met with House Oversight and House Judiciary committee members last week as part of their ongoing probe into how the FBI handled its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
