Christopher A. Wray

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Christopher A. Wray
Chris Wray official photo.jpg
8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Assumed office
August 2, 2017
President Donald Trump
Deputy Andrew McCabe
Preceded by James Comey
United States Assistant Attorney General
for the Criminal Division
In office
September 11, 2003 – May 18, 2005
President George W. Bush
Preceded by Michael Chertoff
Succeeded by Alice S. Fisher
Personal details
Born Christopher Asher Wray
(1967-12-17) December 17, 1967 (age 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Helen Garrison Howell (m. 1989)
Children 2
Education Yale University (BA, JD)

Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1967) is an American lawyer currently serving as the eighth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[1][2][3][4][5][6]

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 2017, he was a litigation partner with the law firm King & Spalding.[7]

Early life and education[edit]

Wray was born in New York City.[8] His father, Cecil Wray, was a graduate of Yale Law School and worked as a lawyer at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York.[9] His mother, Gilda Wray, earned her Master of Arts in International Affairs from Columbia University.[10] He attended the Buckley School in New York City and the private boarding school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.[11] In 1989, Wray graduated cum laude from Yale University, and earned his J.D. degree in 1992 at Yale Law School. While at Yale, Wray was the Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Wray spent a year clerking for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[12]

Career[edit]

Government service[edit]

Wray's official portrait during the George W. Bush Administration

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.[12]

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.[13][14][15] 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.[12][16] In March 2005, Wray announced that he would resign from his post.[17] He officially resigned on May 18, 2005.[18][19]

In 2005, Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Justice Department's highest award for public service and leadership.[14]

Private law practice[edit]

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.[20] During his time at King & Spalding, Wray acted as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's personal attorney during the Bridgegate scandal.[21][22]

FBI Director[edit]

Wray being sworn in as FBI Director by Attorney General Sessions

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 fired by Trump on May 9, 2017.[23] Trump interviewed Wray for the vacant FBI Director job on May 30, 2017, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer.[12] Wray's Senate confirmation hearing commenced on July 12, 2017.[24] Among other testimony, when asked if he believed that the investigation into Russian election interference and possible links to Trump's campaign is a "witch hunt", he stated that he did not.[24]

On July 20, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended to confirm Wray as the next Director of the FBI.[25] Wray was officially confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support on August 1, 2017; the vote was 92–5.[26][27] He was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a private ceremony on August 2, 2017.[28] Wray was formally sworn in on September 28, 2017, which 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.[29]

Personal life[edit]

Wray married Helen Garrison Howell, a Yale classmate, in 1989.[11][30] They have two children and live in Georgia.[12][31] He is registered as a Republican.[32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments" (PDF). Committee on the Judiciary. p. 849. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 
  2. ^ Thrush, Glenn; Hirschfeld Davis, Julie (June 7, 2017). "Trump Picks Christopher Wray to Be F.B.I. Director". The New York Times, US. Retrieved September 13, 2017. 
  3. ^ Goldman, Adam; Apuzzo, Matt (June 7, 2017). "Who is Christopher Wray? Trump's F.B.I. Pick Is Said to Be Low-Key and Principled". The New York Times, US. Retrieved September 13, 2017. 
  4. ^ "FBI Director Nominee Christopher Wray Fields Questions At Senate Committee Hearing". C-SPAN.org. National Cable Satellite Corporation. July 12, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017. 
  5. ^ "Christopher Wray '92 Confirmed as FBI Director". Yale Law School, US. August 2, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017. 
  6. ^ 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. 
  7. ^ "Biography of Christopher Wray". Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC., US. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  8. ^ Gerstein, Josh (June 7, 2017). "5 Things to Know About Trump's FBI Pick Christopher Wray". Politico, US. 
  9. ^ https://www.debevoise.com/cecilwray?tab=Biography
  10. ^ http://prabook.com/web/person-view.html?profileId=320269
  11. ^ a b "Helen G. Howell Weds C. A. Wray". The New York Times. August 13, 1989. 
  12. ^ a b c d e Cleary, Tom (May 30, 2017). "Christopher Wray: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. 
  13. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20050113114233/http://www.justice.gov/criminal/index_wray.htm
  14. ^ a b "Christopher A. Wray". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 
  15. ^ "PN705 — Christopher A. Wray — Department of Justice". U.S. Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 
  16. ^ Markham, Jerry W. (2015). A Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals: From Enron to Reform: From Enron to Reform. Routledge. ISBN 9781317478157. 
  17. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/200649194/?terms=Wray+is+the+first+high-ranking+official+to+leave+since+Gonzales+took+over+as+attorney+general
  18. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20050517133557/https://www.justice.gov/criminal
  19. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20050518202044/http://www.justice.gov/criminal/
  20. ^ "Christopher A Wray". www.kslaw.com. King & Spalding. Retrieved June 7, 2017. 
  21. ^ 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. 
  22. ^ 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. 
  23. ^ "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. 
  24. ^ 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. 
  25. ^ Kelly, Erin (July 20, 2017). "Senate Panel Votes to Confirm Christopher Wray as New FBI Director". USA Today, US. Retrieved July 21, 2017. 
  26. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (August 1, 2017). "Senate Confirms Wray as Next FBI Director". Washington Post, US. Retrieved August 1, 2017. 
  27. ^ "Senate Roll Call Vote PN 696". United States Senate. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017. 
  28. ^ "Statement by Attorney General Sessions on the Swearing in of FBI Director Chris Wray". justice.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2017. 
  29. ^ "Trump skips ceremony for FBI director amid Russia investigation". POLITICO. Retrieved 2017-09-29. 
  30. ^ Carrejo, Cate (June 7, 2017). "Who Is Helen Wray?". Bustle.com. Bustle, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017. 
  31. ^ Capelouto, J.D. "Five Things to Know About Chris Wray's Family". AJC.com. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017. 
  32. ^ Sherman, Ted (June 7, 2017). "Who is Christopher Wray? The Christie Attorney Named as Trump's FBI Pick". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, US. Retrieved September 21, 2017. 

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by
Michael Chertoff		 United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
2003–2005		 Succeeded by
Alice S. Fisher
Government offices
Preceded by
James Comey		 Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
2017–present		 Incumbent
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