Dem
47
GOP
53
FBI Directors are appointed for 10-year terms and the current director, Christopher Wray, has 3 more years left. Nevertheless, since he knows that Donald Trump will fire him on Jan. 20 (despite his having been appointed by Trump and been confirmed by every Republican senator), he decided to fall on his sword and go out on his own terms by resigning at the end of Joe Biden's term. He could have forced Trump to fire him, which would have made him a hero to some people, but decided not to play the hero game.
His decision to go quietly rather than resist—and possibly sue Trump, claiming that Trump has no power to fire him—has upset some people in the Bureau. Trump has basically redefined the position of director as a partisan appointee, no different from the secretary of HHS. It used to be that the Director was supposed to be above politics, hence the 10-year term. That is now history. It won't be easy to put the genie back in the bottle.
The grandstanding has already begun. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), an Opportunist First Class, said: "I mean, he's the worst FBI director in American history, he should go." Hawley is too young to remember J. Edgar Hoover, who ran a lawless agency answering to no one, which he used to persecute Americans he didn't like. What Hawley didn't explore is how Trump could pick such allegedly terrible people for high positions. Could it be that Trump has awful judgment? Hawley didn't bring that up.
Democrats were aghast. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) tweeted: "Wray's resignation has resulted from raw political pressure that is repugnant to our justice system. It vastly heightens the hazards of weaponizing the FBI for political or personal ends—which should be an anathema to all my colleagues, regardless of party." Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said he was disappointed by Wray's departure and called on Trump to install a director who has a commitment to fairness, transparency, and the rule of law.
Trump has said he will nominate Kash Patel as the new director. Patel has no relevant experience and has openly said he will use his position to go after Trump's enemies, both politicians and journalists. He may or may not be able to get them, since the U.S. still has things like courts and trials, but Patel will undoubtedly manage to destroy the FBI's image as an organization with integrity devoted to upholding the law. However, Patel's confirmation is not a sure thing as a number of senators have doubts about him. (V)