President Trump has frequently and openly speculated about firing FBI Director Christopher Wray after the election, but Mr. Wray continues to enjoy support from some GOP senators.
Sen. Jerry Moran, the Kansas Republican who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that controls the Federal Bureau of Investigation's budget, defended FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement to The Wall Street Journal this week, saying he "Has professionally led the bureau through its complex missions to reduce violent crime, combat foreign threats and terrorism, preserve the integrity of the financial system, and protect our children from exploitation."
Mr. Moran's statement to the Journal indicates that any effort by Mr. Trump to fire Mr. Wray after the election could run into blowback from his own party.
The FBI Agents Association, which represents active and retired agents, also last week sent letters to both Mr. Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, urging them to let Mr. Wray complete his term for "The stability, credibility, and integrity of the Bureau," and said its members, which it said included more than 90% of active duty agents, "Strongly support" Mr. Wray.
Mr. Wray has testified that the FBI didn't see widespread evidence of coordinated national voter fraud, undermining Mr. Trump's frequent criticism of mail-in voting.
On Sunday, after the FBI confirmed it was investigating an incident in which a group of vehicles driven by Trump supporters surrounded a Biden campaign bus in Texas, forcing cancellation of a campaign event, Mr. Trump tweeted: "In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong." He said the FBI should instead be investigating "Terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA.".
The office of Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who chairs the Judiciary Committee and is in a tight re-election race, declined to comment on whether the senator would support Mr. Trump's efforts to replace Mr. Wray.
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Trump May Try to Fire Wray, but FBI Director Has GOP Support on Capitol Hill
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