President Joe Biden plans to keep FBI Director Christopher Wray in his position for the remainder of his 10-year term, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
While it is historically unusual for an FBI director to be fired, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, at first, did not give a definitive answer as to whether the new president has confidence in Wray.
When asked about the topic during her first press briefing on Wednesday, Psaki said, “I have not spoken within him about specifically FBI Director Wray in recent days.”
“But I’ll circle back if there’s more to convey,” she added.
However, in a tweet on Thursday afternoon, Psaki wrote, “I caused an unintentional ripple yesterday so wanted to state very clearly President Biden intends to keep FBI Director Wray on in his role and he has confidence in the job he is doing.”
I caused an unintentional ripple yesterday so wanted to state very clearly President Biden intends to keep FBI Director Wray on in his role and he has confidence in the job he is doing.
— Karine Jean-Pierre Archived (@PressSec46) January 21, 2021
Wray was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2017 to replace former FBI Director James Comey.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) applauded Biden’s decision to keep Wray on the job, who he said has “served with great professionalism and integrity.”
“I am glad to see that President Biden intends to keep Director Wray in his position, and restore the ten year terms for FBI Directors. Such terms, which transcend administrations, were intended to insulate a director from the kind of improper personal or political considerations that led Donald Trump to fire former Director James Comey,” Schiff said.
.@RepAdamSchiff on Biden's decision to keep FBI Director Chris Wray: "I am glad to see that President Biden intends to keep Director Wray in his position, and restore the ten year terms for FBI Directors" pic.twitter.com/1oO6Ue44oi
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) January 21, 2021
By the last year of his term, Trump grew frustrated with Wray and CNN reported that Trump had mulled replacing him.
And Trump’s displeasure with the head of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency was not contained to private conversations.
During an interview with Fox News in October 2020, Trump called Wray “disappointing” after Wray said there was no evidence of widespread fraud associated with mail-in ballots.
