President Donald Trump said he’ll nominate former Justice Department official Christopher Wray as new FBI director on Wednesday morning. He made the announcement via Twitter.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/872419018799550464
Wray represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closing “Bridgegate” case. He also worked in the Justice Department under George W. Bush.
“I have the utmost confidence in Chris. He’s an outstanding lawyer. He has absolute integrity and honesty, and I think that the president certainly would not be making a mistake if he asked Chris Wray to be FBI director,” Christie told NewJersey.com last week when Wray emerged as a candidate for the position.
Christie was never charged with a crime in the “Bridgegate” scandal, but two of his former staffers were found guilty last November for their roles in the lane-closing scheme, which involved closing bridge lanes to create a traffic mess to punish a Democratic mayor who wouldn’t endorse Christie.
Trump called Wray “a man of impeccable credentials,” but didn’t offer much more information. Wray left the Justice Department in 2005 and currently works with the private law firm King and Spalding.
He will be nominated to replace James Comey, who Trump fired abruptly in May while he was investigating Russia meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump associates colluded with the Kremlin.
Comey is expected to describe his encounters with Trump when he testifies before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday.