Al Jazeera News :
The US Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly confirmed Christopher Wray as the man to lead the FBI, replacing James Comey, who was abruptly fired by US President Donald Trump amid the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election.
The vote was 92-5 for Wray, a former high-ranking official in President George W Bush’s Justice Department who oversaw investigations into corporate fraud. Wray, 50, inherits the FBI at a particularly challenging time given Trump’s ousting of Comey, who was admired within the bureau. “This is a tough time to take this tough job,” Senator Amy Klobuchar said during a relatively low-key Senate debate of the nomination. “The previous FBI director, as we know, was fired because of the Russia investigation. The former acting attorney general was fired. And we’ve had a slew of other firings throughout the government over the last few months.” Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said after the vote: “Chris Wray will bring character and competence to a city that is haemorrhaging public trust.” Wray won unanimous support from the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, with Republicans and Democrats praising his promise never to let politics get in the way of the bureau’s mission. Asserting his independence at his confirmation hearing, Wray said: “My loyalty is to the constitution and the rule of law. Those have been my guideposts throughout my career, and I will continue to adhere to them no matter the test.” Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, DC, said Wray told senators during his confirmation hearing last month that if he were asked for a loyalty pledge from Trump – as Comey was – he would refuse and would rather quit than drop any investigation under pressure.
“Wray is seen as a person who likes to stay away from drama. He has a reputation for a low-key demeanour and his nomination by Trump was seen as a safe and mainstream and non-partisan choice for this position,” Zhou-Castro said.
