Christopher Wray is the new F.B.I. Director. He would replace James Comey, whom President Donald Trump fired while the former FBI chief was overseeing an investigation into the Trump campaign.
Christopher Wray is a litigation partner at the Washington law firm King & Spalding.
Mr. Wray was seen as an acceptable choice among F.B.I. agents because of his strong background in federal law enforcement. From 2003 to 2005, he ran the criminal division of the Justice Department, directing efforts to deal with fraud scandals plaguing the corporate world.
As the Criminal Division’s head, Mr. Wray led investigations, prosecutions, and policy development in nearly all areas of federal criminal law, including securities fraud, healthcare fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and trade sanctions violations, bank secrecy and money laundering offenses, public corruption, intellectual property piracy and cybercrime, and RICO.
He was also integral to the DOJ’s response to the 9/11 attacks and played a key role in the oversight of legal and operational actions in the continuing war on terrorism.
At the conclusion of his tenure in 2005, Mr. Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Department’s highest award for public service and leadership.
Originally founded in July 1908 with a staff of just 34 people, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has become grown to encompass more than 450 field offices and agencies in the United States, as well 75 offices and sub-offices around the world. Get the facts behind America's domestic intelligence agency at History.com.