FBI Director Christopher Wray and Donald Trump's team are planning for the possibility that the president-elect will replace Wray during the new administration, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News.
One person under consideration for Wray's job is Trump adviser Kash Patel, who is also being considered to lead the CIA, according to two other sources.
Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 to a 10-year term, enjoys leading the FBI and had intended to serve out his term, one source said. But he's also preparing for the possibility that Trump will seek to replace him, according to a separate source.
All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity to recount sensitive discussions.
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Replacing might not mean firing. Wray could resign if he was told Trump wants him gone, as is widely expected.
Trump campaigned in part on the idea of cleaning house at an FBI he has claimed is full of politically motivated and corrupt executives. He has frequently criticized Wray over the years, though not nearly as much as he’s gone after other officials at the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI.
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Wray told NBC News in April that he was “enjoying doing this job.”
“As long as I think I can do that in a way that adheres to all those rules and norms, I’d like to keep doing it,” Wray said at the time.
In July, Trump demanded Wray resign “NOW” after he testified before Congress that Trump’s ear injury from the attempt on his life that month might not have come from a bullet.
The FBI later confirmed in a statement that a bullet struck Trump's ear.
Trump responded on his social media website Truth Social. “I assume that’s the best apology that we’ll get from Director Wray, but it is fully accepted!” he wrote.
In recent days, Trump has been making staffing announcements for top posts in his administration, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and "border czar" Tom Homan. Installing a new FBI director would require Senate confirmation in a chamber where Republicans will be in the majority starting in January.
Patel is a former House and National Security Council staffer who worked for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and became a top Defense Department official in the waning days of the first Trump administration. He's also a longtime critic of the Justice Department and the agencies that he is under consideration to helm.
In his memoir titled “Government Gangsters,” Patel called for a “comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department and FBI, including firing many in leadership and prosecuting those who “in any way abused their authority for political ends.”
Trump sought to make Patel deputy CIA director toward the end of his term in office, but blinked after CIA Director Gina Haspel promised to resign if he went through with it.
Patel was asked about the possibility of becoming CIA director during an interview with former White House adviser Steve Bannon in December.
"We have to put in all-American patriots top to bottom," Patel said then.
"We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media — yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’re going to figure that out — but yeah, we’re putting you all on notice."
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