Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 after the then-president fired his predecessor James Comey, giving up a successful law career in Atlanta and returning to Washington and to public service following an earlier stint as a senior Justice Department official.
“He had certainly enjoyed the right to stay there and never come back,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland, drawing laughs from the audience. “His life could have been a relaxing stream of practicing ‘big law,’ tailgating at (Georgia) Bulldogs games, watching his beloved New York Giants on television and, most important, walking his dog without a protective detail.”
Those include investigations into Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate — agents searched the Florida property in 2022 — and his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election, both of which resulted in indictments. The FBI also investigated Biden’s handling of classified information and the president’s son, Hunter, on tax and gun violations. Biden was not charged but his son was convicted and was eventually pardoned.
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The remarks at the packed farewell ceremony at FBI headquarters steered clear of any direct political reference, with no overt mention of President-elect Donald Trump’s scathing criticism of him or the turmoil the bureau has encountered amid a spate of highly charged investigations into both Trump and President Joe Biden. But the backdrop was unmistakable, coming amid concerns that Trump — who last month forced Wray’s departure by naming loyalist Kash Patel to the job — could seek to use the FBI’s law enforcement powers to exact retribution against adversaries.
Garland said his favorite part of the day is the morning briefing on threats to the homeland that he and Wray attend together, where no politics are discussed.
Wray’s tenure saw the emergence of increasingly sophisticated Chinese cyberespionage campaigns, brazen assassination plots by Iran — including one that targeted Trump — and, most recently, a New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 revelers and that the FBI is investigating as an act of terror.
“No matter what’s happening out there,” Wray said, “in here, we’ve got to stay committed to doing our work the right way every time, with professionalism, with rigor, with integrity. That means following the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it or doesn’t — because trust me, if there’s anything I’ve learned in this job, there’s always someone who doesn’t like you.”
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The specifics of those investigations went unmentioned during the packed farewell ceremony, attended by current and former FBI colleagues, Justice Department leaders, state law enforcement officers and intelligence officials like CIA Director William Burns. The speakers who paid tribute to Wray focused instead on his dedication to the job as well as to the workforce he has led.