FBI Director Christopher Wray might think that he is doing the noble thing by resigning his position, but the right move would have been to make Donald Trump fire him.
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There is a pretty good chance that Donald Trump will violate his oath of office (and probably quite a few laws) in his second term. And he is virtually certain to shatter a lot of norms… even without the help of the likes of FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In what is an unfortunate decision, Wray announced on Wednesday that he will step down before Trump’s inauguration.
“After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Wray said at a town hall meeting. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day.”
Well, stepping down is the opposite of that.
Here is the thing: If Wray had stayed on to serve out his 10-year-term, then Trump would have been forced to fire his second FBI director. Back in 2017, he already got rid of James Comey, who was instrumental in getting him elected, before nominating Wray.
Normally, FBI directors don’t resign before a new administration takes office because their job is supposed to be apolitical.
Of course, that’s not how Trump sees it, which is why he appointed Kash Patel, a loyal MAGA foot soldier, to the position and left no doubt that he would fire Wray.
The current FBI director may think that he is doing something noble.
“In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work,” he said.
In reality, he just made the incoming president’s apparent goal of weaponizing the FBI easier. If he had stayed on, any Republican senators concerned about Patel’s loyalty to Trump and not the rule of law would have had a reason to block the nomination.
Now, however, there is a vacancy.
So, what did Wray get for his troubles? Was Trump grateful?
Judge for yourself.
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump stated.
The incoming president especially took issue with the FBI’s role in his criminal prosecutions, especially the case involving his theft of classified documents.
“Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America,” Trump added.
If you are wondering, “without cause” in this case means that the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and found exactly what it was looking for, in this case the classified documents Trump was hoarding there. So… that seems like plenty of cause.
It’s also important to note that both Comey and Wray were Republicans… just not MAGA Republicans like Patel.
Now the outgoing FBI director can sit back and witness from his home what Trump will turn the FBI into starting in January.
But at least he will have done what he (misguidedly) believes to be the “honorable” thing, which is not something we can expect anybody to do during the second Trump administration.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
