WASHINGTON (AP) — Christopher Wray, a lawyer with a strong law enforcement background who represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Bridgegate scandal, was announced Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI.
In an early morning two-sentence tweet, Trump said he intended to nominate Wray, a high-ranking official in George W. Bush’s Justice Department. That word came one day before the FBI director that Trump fired last month, James Comey, was to testify in public on Capitol Hill for the first time since that dismissal.
Trump called Wray “a man of impeccable credentials,” but offered no more information about the selection, except to end the tweet with “Details to follow.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Wray seemed like “the perfect kind of person” for the important job. Ryan said he favored a “career person” and that Wray “certainly seems to fit that bill.”
Wray rose to head the department’s criminal division in the Bush administration and oversaw investigations into corporate fraud, at a time when Comey was deputy attorney general. Wray took charge of a task force of prosecutors and FBI agents created to investigate the Enron scandal.
Given his background, Wray was a traditional choice for the FBI post. Trump had entertained current and former politicians for the role, including former Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. Though favored by Trump, Lieberman would have faced a challenging confirmation process; he pulled his name from consideration.