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Christopher A. Wray

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Christopher A. Wray
8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 2, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyAndrew McCabe
David Bowdich
Preceded byJames Comey
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
In office
September 11, 2003 – May 17, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byMichael Chertoff
Succeeded byAlice S. Fisher
Personal details
Born
Christopher Asher Wray

(1966-12-17) December 17, 1966 (age 57)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican[1]
Spouse
Helen Garrison Howell
​
​
(m. 1989)​
Children2
EducationYale University (BA, JD)
Signature

Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966)[2] is an American lawyer who, since 2017, has served as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[3] From 2003 to 2005 Wray served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division in the George W. Bush Administration. From 2005 to 2016 he was a litigation partner with the law firm King & Spalding.[4]

Early life

Christopher A. Wray was born in New York City.[5] His father, Cecil A. Wray Jr.,[6][7] was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Yale Law School, and he worked as a lawyer at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York.[8][9] His paternal grandfather, T. Cecil Wray, was the city manager of Brentwood, Tennessee from 1971 to 1973.[10] His paternal great-grandfather, Taylor Malone, was also a Vanderbilt University graduate,[11] and the co-founder and president of Malone & Hyde, "one of the South's largest wholesale grocery firms."[12] His maternal grandfather, Samuel E. Gates, "helped shape the laws that govern national and international airline flights" as an official of the Bureau of Air Commerce.[13]

Wray attended the Buckley School,[14] in New York City and the private boarding school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.[6] In 1989, Wray then attended Yale University from which he graduated cum laude[6] with a B.A. in philosophy in 1989, and earned his Juris Doctor in 1992 from Yale Law School. While at Yale Law, Wray was the Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal. After graduating from law school, Wray spent a year clerking for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[15]

Career

Government service

Christopher Wray and wife Helen in 2017

Wray joined the government in 1997 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. In 2001, he moved to the Justice Department as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.[15]

On June 9, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wray to be the 33rd Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Wray was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 11, 2003.[16][17][18] Wray was Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2005, working under Deputy Attorney General James Comey. While heading the Criminal Division, Wray oversaw prominent fraud investigations, including Enron.[15][19] In a May 30, 2013 Washingtonian.com article, Garrett M. Graff revealed that Wray was one of the senior Justice Dept officials who nearly resigned in 2004, alongside then FBI Director Robert Mueller and Deputy Attorney General James Comey, due to illegal surveillance techniques the Bush administration had put in place under the Terrorist Surveillance Program.[20] In March 2005, Wray announced that he would resign from his post.[21] His last day at the Justice Department was on May 17, 2005.[citation needed]

In 2005, Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Justice Department's highest award for public service and leadership.[22]

Private law practice

Wray joined King & Spalding in 2005 as a litigation partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., and Atlanta offices. Wray represented several Fortune 100 companies and chaired the King & Spalding Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group.[citation needed] During his time at King & Spalding, Wray acted as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's personal attorney during the Bridgegate scandal.[23][24]

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (2017–present)

Wray being sworn in as FBI Director by Attorney General Sessions.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Wray announce charges against Chinese government hackers, December 20, 2018

On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Wray to be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, replacing James Comey, who was dismissed by Trump on May 9, 2017.[25] Trump interviewed Wray for the vacant FBI Director job on May 30, 2017, according to then Press Secretary Sean Spicer.[15] Wray's Senate confirmation hearing commenced on July 12, 2017.[26] Among other testimony, when asked if he believed that the investigation into Russian 2016 election interference and possible links to Trump's campaign is a "witch hunt," he stated that he did not.[26]

On July 20, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended to confirm Wray as the next Director of the FBI.[27] Wray was officially confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support on August 1, 2017; the vote was 92–5.[28][29] He was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a private ceremony on August 2, 2017.[30] Wray was formally sworn in on September 28, 2017, in a ceremony that was not attended by President Trump, marking the first time an FBI director has been sworn in without the President who nominated him present at the ceremony.[31]

On February 13, 2018, in a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing focused on Chinese espionage in the United States, Senator Marco Rubio [R-FL] asked Wray about the risk posed from Chinese students in advanced science and mathematics programs. In response, Wray stated "nontraditional collectors" (which he elaborated to include professors, scientists, and students) are "exploiting the very open research and development environment that we have" and consequently he viewed the risk "as not just a whole of government threat but a whole of society threat".[32] Representatives Judy Chu [D-CA], Ted Lieu [D-CA], and Grace Meng [D-NY] released statements criticizing Wray's response as "irresponsible generalizations" implying that all Chinese students and scholars were spies.[33] A coalition of Asian American advocacy groups wrote an open letter to Wray asking for a dialogue "to discuss how well-intentioned public policies might nonetheless lead to troubling issues of potential bias, racial profiling, and wrongful prosecution."[34] In a follow-up interview with NBC, Wray stood by his earlier remarks, elaborating that "To be clear, we do not open investigations based on race, or ethnicity, or national origin. But when we open investigations into economic espionage, time and time again, they keep leading back to China."[35]

On December 9, 2019, Wray was interviewed by ABC News following the release of the DoJ inspector general's report on the origins of the Russia investigation.[36] In the interview, when asked about characterizations of the FBI and its agents as the "deep state", Wray responded: "I think that's the kind of label that's a disservice to the men and women who work at the FBI who I think tackle their jobs with professionalism, with rigor, with objectivity, with courage. So that's not a term I would ever use to describe our work force and I think it's an affront to them."[36] He said he did not believe the Trump campaign was unfairly targeted by the FBI probe. He also denied that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential elections, stating "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election" and "as far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."[36] This led Trump to criticize Wray the following day, claiming that Wray would "never be able to fix the FBI."[37]

In January 2020, Senator Chris Murphy wrote to Wray, urging the FBI to "investigate the allegations" that Saudi Arabia "illegally compromised and stole personal data" from Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, as part of a possible effort to "influence, if not silence, the Washington Post’s reporting on Saudi Arabia".[38][39]

In May 2020, Wray has ordered an internal review into possible misconduct in the FBI's investigation of Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn.[40][41]

On June 4, 2020, Wray stated that "anarchists" like Antifa are "exploiting" George Floyd protests "to pursue violent, extremist agendas".[42][43]

In July 2020, Wray called People's Republic of China the "greatest long-term threat" to the United States. He said that "the FBI is now opening a new China-related counterintelligence case every 10 hours. Of the nearly 5,000 active counterintelligence cases currently under way across the country, almost half are related to China."[44] Wray cited the Anthem medical data breach that exposed the personal information of more then 78 million people and the 2017 Equifax data breach that impacted more than 145 million Americans.[45] Wray argued China was trying to become the world’s only superpower, supplanting the United States.[46]

Personal life

Wray married Helen Garrison Howell, a Yale classmate, in 1989.[6][47] They have a son, Trip, and a daughter, Caroline,[8] and live in Georgia.[15][48]

Wray earned $9.2 million working as an attorney for the law firm King & Spalding, significantly more than his salary as FBI Director. According to a calculation from the Wall Street Journal, Wray's net worth in 2017 was estimated to be $23 million to $42 million.[49]

See also

References

  1. ^ NJ.com, NJ Advance Media for (June 8, 2017). "Who is Christopher Wray? The Christie attorney named as Trump's FBI pick". NJ.com.
  2. ^ "Christopher Wray". Biography.
  3. ^ Wray, Christopher (August 2, 2017). "New FBI Director Christopher Wray Takes Oath of Office". FBI.gov. Federal Bureau of Investigation, US. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  4. ^ "Biography of Christopher Wray". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC., US. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. ^ Gerstein, Josh (June 7, 2017). "5 Things to Know About Trump's FBI Pick Christopher Wray". Politico, US.
  6. ^ a b c d "Helen G. Howell Weds C. A. Wray". The New York Times. August 13, 1989.
  7. ^ "Miss Gilda Gates Will Be the Bride Of Cecil Wray Jr". The New York Times. May 5, 1964.
  8. ^ a b Ghosh, Nirmal (August 7, 2017). "Into the minefield steps new FBI chief Christopher Wray". The Straits Times.
  9. ^ "Cecil Wray". Debevoise.
  10. ^ "T. Cecil Wray Memorial Rites Set Tomorrow". The Tennessean. May 14, 1985. p. 15. Retrieved September 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Taylor Malone Dies". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. June 30, 1955. p. 25. Retrieved September 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Retired grocer dies". The Birmingham News. June 30, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved September 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Obituary: Samuel E. Gates". Daily News. March 10, 1979. p. 23. Retrieved September 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Soon-to-be FBI director has Adirondack ties, Lake Placid News, Chris Knight, July 30, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d e Cleary, Tom (May 30, 2017). "Christopher Wray: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com.
  16. ^ "Criminal Division: Christopher A. Wray, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice". Archived from the original on January 13, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  17. ^ "Christopher A. Wray". United States Department of Justice. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  18. ^ "PN705 — Christopher A. Wray — Department of Justice". U.S. Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  19. ^ Markham, Jerry W. (2015). A Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals: From Enron to Reform: From Enron to Reform. Routledge. ISBN 9781317478157.
  20. ^ Graff, Garrett M (May 30, 2013). "Forged Under Fire—Bob Mueller and Jim Comey's Unusual Friendship". Washingtonian.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  21. ^ "1 Mar 2005, Page 5 – Asheville Citizen-Times at". Newspapers.com. March 1, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Christopher Wray, August 2, 2017 – Present". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  23. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (June 2, 2017). "What Christie Says Now That 2 of His Bridgegate Lawyers Could Get Big Jobs From Trump". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, US.
  24. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (July 7, 2016). "Christie's Phone, a Missing Piece in the Bridge Case, Is Found". The New York Times, US. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  25. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Christopher A. Wray to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". The White House. June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  26. ^ a b Goldman, Adam; Schmidt, Michael S (July 12, 2017). "Trump's Nominee to Lead F.B.I. Pledges to Resist White House Pressure". The New York Times, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  27. ^ Kelly, Erin (July 20, 2017). "Senate Panel Votes to Confirm Christopher Wray as New FBI Director". USA Today, US. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  28. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (August 1, 2017). "Senate Confirms Wray as Next FBI Director". Washington Post, US. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  29. ^ "Senate Roll Call Vote PN 696". United States Senate. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "Statement by Attorney General Sessions on the Swearing in of FBI Director Chris Wray". justice.gov. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  31. ^ "Trump skips ceremony for FBI director amid Russia investigation". POLITICO. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  32. ^ "Open hearing on worldwide threats". U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. February 13, 2018. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018. Sequence commences at video timestamp 01:15:38.
  33. ^ "Chinese students in US a threat? FBI chief's claim slammed as 'irresponsible'". The Straits Times. February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  34. ^ "Asian American Groups Demand Meeting With FBI Director After Anti-Chinese Statements" (PDF). Asian Americans Advancing Justice. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  35. ^ Christopher Wray (March 21, 2018). "FBI chief on biggest threats: China spies, terror, rise in violent crime" (Interview). Interviewed by Pete Williams. NBC News. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  36. ^ a b c "FBI Director Chris Wray reacts to DOJ watchdog report on Russia investigation: Exclusive". ABC News. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  37. ^ Trump, Donald J. (December 10, 2019). "I don't know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn't the one given to me. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!". @realDonaldTrump. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  38. ^ "Democratic senator asks intelligence agencies to open probe into Bezos phone hack". The Hill. January 29, 2020.
  39. ^ "Senator calls for US intelligence to investigate Jeff Bezos 'phone hacking'". The Guardian. January 29, 2020.
  40. ^ "FBI Director Orders Internal Review Of Michael Flynn Investigation". NPR. May 22, 2020.
  41. ^ "FBI Director Wray opens internal review into how bureau handled Michael Flynn case". Fox News. May 22, 2020.
  42. ^ "Wray claims FBI sees 'anarchists like Antifa' exploiting George Floyd protests". Yahoo News. June 4, 2020.
  43. ^ "FBI Director Christopher Wray's Remarks at Press Conference Regarding Civil Unrest in Wake of George Floyd's Death". Fbi.gov. June 4, 2020.
  44. ^ "FBI director: China is 'greatest threat' to US". BBC News. July 8, 2020.
  45. ^ "FBI Director Wray warns of Chinese hacking, espionage threats against American companies". The Hill. July 7, 2020.
  46. ^ "Pompeo urges China's citizens to help change Beijing's 'behaviour'". South China Morning Post. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  47. ^ Carrejo, Cate (June 7, 2017). "Who Is Helen Wray?". Bustle.com. Bustle, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  48. ^ Capelouto, J.D. "Five Things to Know About Chris Wray's Family". AJC.com. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  49. ^ AM, Jason Le Miere On 7/12/17 at 7:40 (July 12, 2017). "Christopher Wray will take a significant hit to his salary if confirmed as FBI director". Newsweek.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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Legal offices
Preceded by United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
2003–2005 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
2017–present 		Incumbent
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