Just one day after President-elect Donald Trump announced he would appoint Kash Patelto to lead the FBI as Wray’s successor, GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., on Sunday voiced his support for FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In an effort to prevent the FBI from being perceived as the president’s political weapon, directors have generally held office for ten years after Watergate. Trump would have to remove Wray or Wray would have to resign willingly before 2027 for Patel to take over, given Wray had already been nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2017.
The first person the president nominated was Chris Wray. In an appearance on ABC News This Week, Rounds stated, “I believe the president chose a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term.”
“I don’t have any complaints about the way that he’s done his job right now, and I haven’t had any objections to the way that he’s handled himself when we meet with him behind closed doors,” Rounds continued regarding Wray.
Nevertheless, Rounds stated that he would fairly assess Patel and the other Trump Cabinet candidates throughout the advise and consent procedure in the Senate. After being officially nominated, Patel will need to be confirmed by a majority vote of the entire Senate, which won’t be possible until after Trump is sworn in in January.
According to Rounds, the president has the authority to nominate anyone, but often they do so for a 10-year tenure. If he does [nominate Patel], the president receives the benefit of the doubt on the nomination, just like is the case with anyone nominated for one of these positions. However, we still go through a process, which involves consent and advice.
A request for comment to Rounds’ comments was not immediately answered by representatives of the Trump transition team.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News Meet the Press earlier Sunday that the Biden administration upholds the long-standing tradition that FBI directors serve out their entire terms because the FBI director is a special member of the American government system. Sullivan did not comment on Patel. They are appointed to 10-year terms rather than ones that are limited to the tenure of a particular president.
Sullivan pointed out that despite Wray being a Trump appointee, Biden permitted him to remain in office for the duration of his presidency.
In fact, Donald Trump appointed Chris Wray, the current head of the FBI. He wasn’t fired by Joe Biden. Sullivan continued, “He trusted him to carry out his duties as the FBI director and permitted him to complete his term.”
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