BBC NEWS
US President Donald Trump says he is nominating lawyer Christopher Wray to become the new FBI director.
The post has been empty for the past month after Mr Trump fired James Comey from the key law enforcement role. Mr Wray served under George W Bush as an assistant attorney general from 2003 to 2005. Mr Trump described Mr Wray as "a man of impeccable credentials" in a tweet on Wednesday. The appointment will have to be approved by the Senate.
TWITTER / DONALD TRUMP
The Yale Law School graduate is currently a partner at King & Spalding law firm in its offices in Washington DC and Atlanta.
While at the Department of Justice (DOJ), he headed the criminal division, overseeing major corporate fraud scandals, including the crisis at energy giant Enron. "Mr Wray was also integral to the DOJ's response to the 9/11 attacks and played a key role in the oversight of legal and operational actions in the continuing war on terrorism," says the King & Spalding website. He was also a lawyer representing New Jersey Governor - and Trump ally - Chris Christie after a 2013 scandal dubbed Bridgegate.
Two of Mr Christie's former aides were convicted of plotting to close lanes of traffic on a New York City bridge as revenge against a Democratic mayor who did not endorse the governor. Mr Christie denied any knowledge of the plan and was not charged.
The New York Times described Mr Wray as a "safe, mainstream pick", after the president had said he might have opted to appoint a politician for the role. The post has historically been non-political. President Trump's nomination decision comes the day before Mr Comey is set to testify before the Senate intelligence committee.
He is expected to be asked about private discussions with Mr Trump regarding the investigation into alleged links between the president's administration and Russia. Mr Comey will give a public testimony, which will be broadcast on TV and online, and he will also answer "sensitive" questions from senators in a private hearing.
No comments:
Post a Comment