Trump calls Wray’s resignation a “great day for America” ​​and calls Kash Patel the “best fit” to lead the FBI

FIRST ON FOX: President-elect Trump said Christopher Wray’s resignation was a “great day for America” ​​and told Fox News Digital that he would “stop arming” the FBI, while calling his nominee Kash Patel the “most qualified.” to lead the FBI.

Wray announced his plans to step down in January 2025 on Wednesday afternoon.

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“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the weaponization of what has become known as the U.S. Department of Injustice,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “I just don’t know what happened to him.”

Trump said his administration would “now restore the rule of law for all Americans.”

“Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally searched my home for no reason, worked diligently to illegally indict and indict me, and did everything else to harm the success and future of America,” Trump told Fox News Digital . “They have used their tremendous powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of whom will never recover from what was done to them.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he will resign next month. (Getty Images)

The president-elect looked forward to his candidate to head the office, Kash Patel.

“Kash Patel is the most qualified candidate to lead the FBI in the agency’s history and is committed to ensuring that law, order and justice return to our country, and soon,” Trump said. “As everyone knows, I have great respect for the rank and file of the FBI, and they have great respect for me. They want to see these changes as much as I do, but more importantly, the American people do. “We demand a strong but fair justice system.”

Kash Patel and President-elect Trump (Getty Images)

“We want our FBI back, and that’s what’s going to happen now,” he continued. “I look forward to Kash Patel’s confirmation so the process of Making the FBI Great Again can begin.”

During a town hall meeting Wednesday, Wray announced his plans to resign next month.

“After weeks of careful consideration, I have decided that the right thing to do for the board is for me to remain in office until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Wray said during the town hall meeting. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission – the vital work you do every day on behalf of the American people. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the office even deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values ​​and principles that are so important to our work.”

The FBI director said the decision was not an easy one, adding that he loves the FBI, its mission and its people.

Wray is seven years into his 10-year term.

Trump appointed Wray in 2017 after firing former director James Comey from the post.

Trump nominated Kash Patel as FBI director earlier this month, giving Wray the option of going alone or being fired.

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While Wray’s final day is still uncertain, it is expected to take place in January, before Trump’s inauguration.

Once Wray leaves the company, deputy director Paul Abbate will become acting director until the new director is appointed. Abbate is a career civil servant who has the right to retire from the FBI soon. He planned months ago to retire in the new year.

Meanwhile, Patel met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week and received a warm welcome.

Patel’s experience ranges from personally conducting dangerous missions in the Middle East to bring home U.S. hostages to implementing counterterrorism strategies against America’s most wanted terrorists.

Current and former U.S. national security officials and lawmakers say that if you look at his resume “objectively,” he is “one of the most experienced people ever nominated to lead the office.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray announces resignation

During the first Trump administration, Patel served as Trump’s deputy assistant and senior director for Counterterrorism. In this role, Patel was involved in presidential missions aimed at decimate al-Qaeda’s leadership and ISIS’s command and control. Among other things, Patel was involved in planning the mission to eliminate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Patel was also involved in efforts to bring some of the most wanted terrorists to the U.S. for prosecution and worked on the Trump administration’s efforts to repatriate dozens of U.S. hostages.

Beyond his counterterrorism work, Patel has been instrumental in U.S. strategy to counter Chinese, Russian, Iranian and North Korean efforts against U.S. interests. He also worked to implement multimillion-dollar sanctions against foreign adversaries.

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Before serving as Trump’s deputy and at the NSC, Patel worked in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as principal deputy to acting DNI Ric Grenell and helped former Director John Ratcliffe transition into the role. Trump nominated Ratcliffe to be director of the CIA last month.

At ODNI, Patel also worked to focus intelligence collection on countering drugs and transnational threats.