1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,266 AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour." 2 00:00:03,266 --> 00:00:06,600 In a highly unusual move, the director of the FBI is stepping down. Christopher Wray 3 00:00:08,566 --> 00:00:11,233 announced today that he intends to leave his position when president-elect Donald 4 00:00:11,233 --> 00:00:16,233 Trump takes office in January. That comes after Mr. Trump named Kash Patel as his 5 00:00:18,166 --> 00:00:21,333 nominee to run the FBI, despite the fact that Trump was the one who appointed Wray, 6 00:00:21,333 --> 00:00:26,333 and Wray was serving a 10-year term that wasn't set to end until 2027. 7 00:00:28,066 --> 00:00:31,500 Speaking to FBI employees, Wray addressed his decision to resign. 8 00:00:33,466 --> 00:00:35,566 CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI Director: My goal is to keep the focus on our mission, 9 00:00:35,566 --> 00:00:40,200 on the indispensable work each of you is doing every single day. And in my view, 10 00:00:42,166 --> 00:00:47,133 this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,866 while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important in how we do our work. 12 00:00:55,900 --> 00:00:57,866 AMNA NAWAZ: Our White House correspondent, 13 00:00:57,866 --> 00:01:00,433 Laura Barron-Lopez, has been following the developments and joins us now. 14 00:01:00,433 --> 00:01:02,833 So, Laura, what else did Chris Wray say in those remarks, 15 00:01:02,833 --> 00:01:05,933 and why did he decide to announce this and step down? 16 00:01:05,933 --> 00:01:08,500 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The FBI director, Wray, was faced with two options, 17 00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:13,500 Amna, either resign or be faced with firing by president-elect Donald Trump. 18 00:01:15,300 --> 00:01:19,300 And FBI Director Wray said that this decision came after weeks of careful 19 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:23,133 thought. And much of the FBI's work on that is far afield from politics, 20 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:28,133 and that was something that the FBI director spoke about today. This is an apolitical organization, 21 00:01:30,033 --> 00:01:34,266 and he talked a lot about the mission of the bureau today in his remarks. 22 00:01:36,366 --> 00:01:40,200 CHRISTOPHER WRAY: Our dedication to independence and objectivity and our defense of the rule of 23 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,400 law, those fundamental aspects of who we are must never change. That's the real strength of the FBI, 24 00:01:50,100 --> 00:01:55,066 the importance of our mission, the quality of our people and their dedication to service over self. 25 00:01:59,866 --> 00:02:04,833 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The FBI's dedication to the rule of law, it being a nonpartisan bureau, 26 00:02:06,533 --> 00:02:08,800 is a norm that was more established after the Watergate scandal, Amna. 27 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:13,800 And FBI Director Wray also added that the FBI is only on the side of the Constitution and 28 00:02:15,866 --> 00:02:18,566 that it has to follow the facts, he said -- quote -- "no matter who likes it or doesn't." 29 00:02:18,566 --> 00:02:21,233 AMNA NAWAZ: Laura, take a step back here for us and just tell us, 30 00:02:21,233 --> 00:02:26,000 how unprecedented is this moment in history and for the FBI? 31 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,533 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: It's incredibly unprecedented, Amna. 32 00:02:27,533 --> 00:02:29,833 And, as you noted, FBI directors are 33 00:02:31,766 --> 00:02:35,200 confirmed to a 10-year term. And all FBI directors to date have been Republicans, 34 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:40,200 including Wray. And that 10-year term is designed to insulate the director from politicians and to 35 00:02:42,566 --> 00:02:47,066 maintain the FBI's independence. It's not normal for the FBI director to resign in this fashion 36 00:02:47,066 --> 00:02:51,533 and not normal for them to not necessarily - - not normal for them to be fired either. 37 00:02:51,533 --> 00:02:54,166 Only two directors have been fired in the history of the FBI, 38 00:02:54,166 --> 00:02:58,766 one under President Bill Clinton and one under Donald Trump, meaning James Comey in 2017. 39 00:02:58,766 --> 00:03:02,000 AMNA NAWAZ: And we saw president-elect Trump respond quickly to Wray's announcement. 40 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,266 What did he say? And also what should we understand about his history with the bureau? 41 00:03:06,266 --> 00:03:08,900 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: President-elect Trump celebrated, no surprise, 42 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:13,466 Wray's resignation and decision to step down in a TRUTH Social post. 43 00:03:13,466 --> 00:03:18,466 And in that post, Trump said that under Wray's leadership, the FBI -- quote -- "illegally raided 44 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,433 my home without cause." It's false that it was an illegal search of Mar-a-Lago, Amna, which was a 45 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,800 search conducted for classified documents that the former president at the time had at Mar-a-Lago. 46 00:03:31,566 --> 00:03:34,933 But Trump also said in the post - - quote -- "We want our FBI back, 47 00:03:34,933 --> 00:03:39,266 and that will now happen." I look forward to Kash Patel's confirmation so that the process of making 48 00:03:39,266 --> 00:03:44,266 the FBI great again can begin." Kash Patel is the president-elect's nominee to lead the FBI. 49 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:50,500 And Trump appointed Wray -- in terms of his history, he appointed Wray after he 50 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:55,433 fired James Comey in 2017, angry that Comey was investigating Russian interference in 51 00:03:55,433 --> 00:04:00,433 the 2016 election. And at that time, Trump said that Wray was a model of integrity and 52 00:04:02,366 --> 00:04:06,400 a guardian of the law. But, since, Trump and Republicans have soured on the FBI, 53 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,400 they have called it the deep state, including Kash Patel, his nominee to lead the FBI, 54 00:04:13,500 --> 00:04:16,833 has called it the deep state, saying he wants to fire multiple people across the FBI, Amna. 55 00:04:16,833 --> 00:04:20,433 AMNA NAWAZ: I know, in your reporting today, you talked to multiple current and former law 56 00:04:20,433 --> 00:04:24,633 enforcement officials, including from the FBI. How are they responding to all this? 57 00:04:24,633 --> 00:04:26,200 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Multiple former FBI officials 58 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:28,333 I talked to said that they're disappointed but not surprised. 59 00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:31,300 A number of them said that they thought that Christopher Wray should have stayed 60 00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:36,300 in the role and forced Trump to fire him, because they believe that would have more 61 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,700 maintained the bureau's independence and shown that it is not partisan, 62 00:04:41,700 --> 00:04:44,800 that this is a role that is separate from the president. 63 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:49,100 And a current government law enforcement official said the big question remaining is 64 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:54,100 what role will politics play in the FBI now and how they conduct their investigations, 65 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:58,900 with many concerned about Kash Patel potentially leading that bureau. 66 00:04:58,900 --> 00:05:01,133 AMNA NAWAZ: Briefly, Laura, what happens next? 67 00:05:01,133 --> 00:05:05,333 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: What happens next is that Paul Abbate, who is currently the deputy director 68 00:05:05,333 --> 00:05:10,333 at the bureau, very well -- he's next in line to become the acting director of the bureau. 69 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,000 That's, of course, though, Amna, if president-elect Donald Trump 70 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,866 doesn't decide to fire him and appoint his own acting director, 71 00:05:18,866 --> 00:05:22,266 which he has the power to do. It would have to be someone that has already been 72 00:05:22,266 --> 00:05:24,966 Senate-confirmed, but he could pull them from anywhere in government. 73 00:05:24,966 --> 00:05:26,700 AMNA NAWAZ: Laura Barron-Lopez with the latest. 74 00:05:26,700 --> 00:05:27,666 Laura, thank you. 75 00:05:27,666 --> 00:05:28,033 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.