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President-elect Donald Trump called out FBI Director Christopher Wray for having “invaded” his home but did not directly say he would fire him.
In his first national television interview since his stunning election victory, the incoming 47th president was asked by NBC host Kristen Welker about the man he installed as the FBI director during his first term at the White House. During the “Meet the Press” interview, Trump expressed he was “not happy” with Wray, whose 10-year term ends in 2027.
Trump named Kash Patel, who served as chief of staff to the secretary of defense in Trump’s first term, as FBI director. Though he has not called on Wray to resign, Trump told Welker that Patel is “going to do what he thinks is right” if he takes over the agency but would not say outright that he would fire Wray to make room for his pick.
NBC: Will you fire Christopher Wray?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “It would sort of seem pretty obvious that if @Kash_Patel gets in, he’s going to be taking somebody’s place, right? That somebody is the man you’re talking about.” pic.twitter.com/dYQwfx5l5O
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
“Well, I can’t say that I’m thrilled with him,” Trump said when Welker asked point blank if he would fire Wray.
“He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done,” he added. “And crime is at an all-time high. Migrants are pouring into the country that are from prisons and from mental institutions, as we’ve discussed. I can’t say I’m thrilled. I don’t want to, again, I don’t want to be Joe Biden and give you an answer and then do the exact opposite.”
“What I’m going to say is, I certainly can not be happy with him,” Trump continued.
“Take a look at what’s happened. And then when I was shot in the ear, he said, maybe it was shrapnel. Where’s the shrapnel coming from? Is it coming from heaven? I don’t think so,” he said, referring to Wray’s remarks in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Trump in July.
“So we need somebody to – you know, I have a lot of respect for the FBI. But the FBI’s respect has gone way down over the last number of years,” Trump said.
“Don’t you have to fire him in order to make room for Kash Patel, if he is, in fact, confirmed?” Welker asked.
Trump replied that it would seem “obvious” that “If Kash gets in, he’ll be taking somebody’s place, and that somebody is the man you’re talking about.”
In addition, the former and future president made it clear he did not expect Patel to go after his political enemies, nor would he personally direct him to do so.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or a corrupt politician, then I think [Kash Patel] has an obligation to investigate it.
WELKER: Are you going to *direct him* to do it?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No. pic.twitter.com/qHrchMqCbB
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
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