Seven years ago next week, Christopher Wray, Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was sworn into office. After the 2020 elections, President Joe Biden had an opportunity to replace Wray with his own FBI director, but the Democrat said he was comfortable leaving Wray in place.
But while FBI directors generally serve 10-year terms, Wray probably realizes by now that his future will be decided by the 2024 presidential race.
The FBI chief testified yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee and offered new insights into the investigation of the recent assassination attempt targeting Trump. But as part of the hearing, Republicans pressed Wray on whether he’d seen a decline in Biden’s health. He said he had not.
As NBC News reported, the comments were not well received by the former president who appointed him.
Trump called for FBI Director Christopher Wray’s resignation, pointing to Wray’s denial in testimony before Congress today that he has seen Biden experiencing cognitive issues. Trump said Wray should resign for “lying to Congress,” arguing that “anybody can see that Joe Biden is cognitively and physically challenged, and if you can’t see that, you sure as hell can’t be running the FBI.”
In an online statement published to his social media platform, the Republican candidate specifically called on Wray to “resign immediately,” adding, “Wray has to resign, and NOW, for LYING TO CONGRESS!”
There is literally no evidence of Wray lying to Congress.
But I’m also curious about whether the testimony related to Biden was the only thing that troubled the former president.
During the same hearing, for example, Wray said there’s some uncertainty surrounding the precise nature of Trump’s injury from the shooting in Pennsylvania.
FBI Director Christopher Wray: “With respect to former president Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear.” pic.twitter.com/3TNjLZp4S1
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 25, 2024
“I think with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray told lawmakers, adding, “There’s a whole lot of work underway and still a lot of work to do. The shooter may be deceased, but the FBI’s investigation is very much ongoing.”
This, coupled with the fact that the former president and his team have been reluctant to share even basic details about his medical care after the shooting, is generating new questions on Capitol Hill.
For example, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York — a member of the House Judiciary Committee and a former prosecutor — wrote online this morning, “We must see Donald Trump’s official medical records.”
We probably haven’t heard the last of this.
