White House press secretary Jen Psaki was not committed to her debut briefing on Wray’s retention at the FBI on Wednesday and said she did not speak to Biden about it. Although the president hinted that he would keep Wray for his ten-year term, questions arose as to whether he would stay on after the January 6 riots at the Capitol.
FBI leadership has been scrutinized for its response to the Capitol riots. Wray did not appear in public for more than a week after taking over the Capitol on January 6, and the Department of Justice announced Friday that it has launched an internal investigation into its response to the deadly uprising, the investigation into intelligence and how information is shared.
“The DOJ OIG will also assess whether there are any weaknesses in DOJ protocols, policies or procedures that affect the ability of DOJ or its components to effectively prepare for and respond to the events at the US Capitol on 6 January. has, “the department said. said in a release.
Although Trump appointed Wray, the relationship between the two men quickly deteriorated. Trump has urged Wray to release information that could potentially damage Biden politically ahead of the November 3 presidential election. Trump’s team has been embroiled in controversy over Wray’s view of antifa as an ‘ideology’ towards an organized group.
In October, an organization representing thousands of FBI agents called on then-President Trump and Biden to detain Wray for the duration of his term.
“While the president can remove an FBI director, it could lead to instability and damage to the bureau’s operations, and therefore Congress wants to isolate the director’s position from political whims,” said Brian O’Hare, president of the FBI Agents Association. said.
“All interactions with the Biden team have been very positive,” a U.S. government official told POLITICO about Wray’s relationship with the government.
Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.