Trump administration FBI Director appointment, 2017

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Investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the firing and hiring of the FBI director

For information more on the Russia probe and the firing and hiring of the FBI director, view the following articles:

•Senate investigation

•House investigation

•Trump firing of FBI Director James Comey

•Congressional responses to the firing of James Comey

•Considered candidates for FBI diretcor

•Hillary Clinton email investigation

•Reactions to Comey's letter on Clinton email investigation

•Federal policy on Russia

•Robert Mueller

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On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Christopher Wray as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Trump wrote on Twitter, "I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow." Wray was officially nominated on June 26, 2017.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for Wray on July 12, 2017. On July 20, 2017, the committee voted 20-0 in favor of Wray. The Senate confirmed Wray by a vote of 92-5 on August 1, 2017. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) voted against Wray's nomination. With the exception of J. Edgar Hoover, who was not subject to the existing confirmation process, former FBI Director James Comey was the only nominee before Wray who was not unanimously confirmed to the position. In 2013, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) cast the only vote against his nomination. Wray was sworn in as FBI director on August 2, 2017.

On May 9, 2017, Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey. Trump wrote in a letter to Comey, “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau. It is essential that we find new leadership for the F.B.I. that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."

The FBI director is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. A director serves at the pleasure of the president for a single term of no longer than 10 years, unless he or she resigns, dies, or is removed.

Directors of the FBI
Directors of the FBI	Years in office	Nominated by	Confirmation vote
Christopher Wray	2017-Present	Donald Trump	92-5
James Comey	2013-2017	Barack Obama	93-1
Robert Mueller	2001-2013	George W. Bush & Barack Obama	98-0, 100-0*
Louis Freeh	1993-2001	Bill Clinton	Unanimous consent
William S. Sessions	1987-1993	Ronald Reagan	90-0
William H. Webster	1978-1987	Jimmy Carter	Confirmed without objection
Clarence M. Kelley	1973-1978	Richard Nixon	96-0
J. Edgar Hoover	1935-1972	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Did not require Senate confirmation**
*Mueller was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2001. President Barack Obama nominated Mueller to serve an additional two-year term in 2011.
**The current appointment confirmation process was not established until 1968. An amendment was added to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 requring the FBI director to be confirmed by the Senate.

Christopher Wray

Wray was a partner at the law firm King & Spalding. He served as an assistant attorney general in charge of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal division from 2003 to 2005 under the Bush administration. While at the DOJ, Wray investigated the Enron scandal. Wray also worked as Gov. Chris Christie's (R-N.J.) attorney during an investigation into the September 2013 George Washington Bridge lane closures.

Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 12, 2017, where he was questioned about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the handling of classified information, torture, and his legal career. His comments appear below

• On his approach to FBI investigations: "My commitment is to the rule of law, to the Constitution, to follow the facts wherever they may lead. And there isn't a person on this planet whose lobbying or influence could convince to just drop or abandon a properly predicated and meritorious investigation."

• On special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation: "I would consider an effort to tamper with Director Mueller’s investigation to be unacceptable and inappropriate. ... I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt."

• On how he would respond if the president requested that he do something unethical: "First, I would try to talk him out of it, and if that failed, I would resign."

• On whether anyone from the White House had requested loyalty from him: "My loyalty is to the Constitution, the rule of law and to the mission of the FBI. No one asked me for any kind of loyalty oath at any point during this process and I sure as heck didn't offer one."

• On torture: "My view is that torture is wrong, it's unacceptable, it's illegal and I think it's ineffective."

Considered candidates for Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The director of the FBI reports directly to the U.S. attorney general and the director of national intelligence and is responsible for protecting the United States from terrorist attacks; foreign intelligence operations and espionage; cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes; public corruption at all levels; civil rights violations; transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises; major white-collar crime; and significant violent crime.

Considered candidates for permanent Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Name	Notable experience	Source
John Pistole	Former head of the Transportation Security Administration under President Barack Obama and former FBI deputy director	USA Today
Christopher Wray	Former assistant attorney general	USA Today
Ken Wainstein	Defense lawyer; a top national security official in the George W. Bush administration	The Wall Street Journal
Andrew McCabe	Acting FBI director	The Wall Street Journal
Adam Lee	FBI special agent in charge of the Richmond division	Richmond Times-Dispatch
Frank Keating	Former Oklahoma Governor	NBC News
Mike Rogers	Former Republican representative from Michigan, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee	The Wall Street Journal
Henry Hudson	Federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia	The Wall Street Journal
Frances Townsend	Homeland Security advisor in the George W. Bush administration	The Washington Examiner
Michael Garcia	Judge on the New York Court of Appeals	The Wall Street Journal
Dana Boente	Acting assistant attorney general of the national security division in the Department of Justice and U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia	Reuters
Ray Kelly	Former commissioner of the New York City Police Department	CBS Miami/Associated Press
J. Michael Luttig	General counsel for Boeing Corp., former judge on the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals	CBS Miami/Associated Press
Larry Thompson	Deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush	CBS Miami/Associated Press
Paul Abbate	FBI assistant director for the criminal, cyber, response, and services branch	CBS Miami/Associated Press
John W. Suthers	Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, former attorney general of Colorado	CBS Miami/Associated Press
Kelly Ayotte	Former senator from New Hampshire, former attorney general of New Hampshire	Politico
Trey Gowdy*	Representative from South Carolina, chairman of a congressional inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s role in the 2012 attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya	Reuters
John Cornyn**	U.S. Senator from Texas, member of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees	The Wall Street Journal
Alice Fisher***	Former Justice Department criminal division chief	Politico
Richard McFeely****	Former top FBI official	NBC News
Joe Lieberman*****	Former senator from Connecticut; former attorney general of Connecticut	NBC News
*On May 15, 2017, Gowdy withdrew his name from consideration to become FBI director. In a statement, Gowdy told Attorney General Jeff Sessions of his “firm conviction that I would not be the right person.” He added, "Our country and the women and men of the FBI deserve a Director with not only impeccable credentials but also one who can unite the country as we strive for justice and truth. I am confident that person will emerge."
**On May 16, 2017, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) withdrew his name from consideration to become FBI director. He said, “Now more than ever the country needs a well-credentialed, independent FBI director. I’ve informed the administration that I’m committed to helping them find such an individual, and that the best way I can serve is continuing to fight for a conservative agenda in the U.S. Senate."
***On May 17, 2017, Alice Fisher withdrew her name from consideration to become FBI director. A source close to Fisher said in a statement, “She expects to remain in touch with the officials working on the nomination and will do all she can to help support the President's nominee as they take on this incredibly important national security and public safety role."
****On May 20, 2017, Richard McFeely withdrew his name from consideration to become FBI director, citing family considerations.
*****On May 24, 2017, former Sen. Joe Lieberman withdrew his name from consideration to become FBI director. In a letter to Trump, Liberman wrote, “With your selection of Marc Kasowitz to represent you in the various investigations that have begun, I do believe it would be best to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, given my role as a senior counsel in the law firm of which Marc is the senior partner."

FBI Agents Association endorses Rogers

On May 13, 2017, the FBI Agents Association endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) to replace Comey. FBIAA President Thomas F. O’Connor said in a statement, “It is essential that the next FBI Director understand the details of how Agents do their important work. Mike Rogers’ background as a Special Agent, veteran of the armed forces and former member of Congress sets him apart as someone capable of confronting the wide array of challenges facing our help ensure that the Bureau remains the world’s premiere law enforcement agency. ... Rogers’ unique and diverse experience will allow him to effectively lead the men and women of the Bureau as we work to protect our country from criminal and terrorist threats."

McConnell supports Garland

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that he recommended former Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland to Trump as a replacement for Comey. McConnell said, "It may surprise people, but he has a deep background in criminal law, he was the prosecutor in the Oklahoma City bombing case and I think it would make it clear that President Trump will continue the tradition at the FBI of having an apolitical professional." McConnell added, "I think if he picks someone with a deep background in law enforcement, who has no history of political involvement, a genuine expert — and the reason I mention Garland is he's an example of that — it will serve him well, serve the country well and lead to a more bipartisan approach."

According to The Hill, "Democrats are unlikely to accept Garland trading his lifetime appointment on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for a ten-year FBI director appointment that Trump could cut short at any time by firing him."

In 2016, McConnell did not hold hearings on Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama.

See also

• Christopher Wray
• Donald Trump firing of FBI Director James Comey, 2017-2018
• James Comey
• Congressional responses to the firing of James Comey
• Hillary Clinton email investigation
• Reactions to Comey's letter on Clinton email investigation
• House Intelligence Committee investigation on Russian activity in 2016 presidential election