Christopher Wray, who was appointed to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the US President just four months ago, did not hesitate to defend the agents, analysts and other personnel working to ensure the nation’s security following an avalanche of tweets by Trump, calling the bureau a biased institution, whose reputation was damaged by former director James Comey. Before testifying publicly in his first congressional hearing, Wray sent out a morale-boosting message to the agency’s employees.
"There is no shortage of opinions out there, but what I can tell you is that the FBI that I see is tens of thousands of agents and analysts and staff working their tails off to keep Americans safe,” Wray said in his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committee. “The FBI that I see is tens of thousands of brave men and women working as hard as they can to keep people they will never know safe from harm."
Trump’s tweets followed a guilty plea from his former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, and were full of harsh criticism targeting the bureau, although he pointed out that he would “make it great again”:
So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday “interrogation” with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times…and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 3 декабря 2017 г.
Tainted (no, very dishonest?) FBI “agent’s role in Clinton probe under review.” Led Clinton Email probe. @foxandfriends Clinton money going to wife of another FBI agent in charge.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 3 декабря 2017 г.After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters — worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 3 декабря 2017 г.READ MORE: What Michael Flynn's Guilty Plea Means for Mueller's Russia Probe
While the officials exchanged their remarks, social media users’ opinions divided. Obviously, there are those who support the FBI and Wray, and say he is doing his best to breathe new life into the bureau:
Doing the best he can with the mess he inherited
— Kevinh07 (@kevinh07) 7 декабря 2017 г.
He’s doing his best to answer as straightforward as possible without compromising whatever integrity of the FBI that he’s trying to salvage.
— Meg Smith (@MaggypaulSmith) 7 декабря 2017 г.
He just took over an agency with much deep state opposition from within, for Pete's sakes, give the man a little time to clean house.
— Common Sense Views (@SEvanson) 7 декабря 2017 г.
Others went as far as to call him “just as corrupt as Comey” and to say he was appointed to ruin the agency:
Chris Wray is just as corrupt as Comey, as Mueller, as Strok. Refusing to answer questions that would show the FBI colluded with the DNC to create the fake Russian dossier. Mix that with Sessions recusing himself from his job and there is no oversight of the crooked FBI. TATTERS.
— Les Porter (@CapAm100) 7 декабря 2017 г.
Sorry Director Wray, that internal memo would never boost my morale after being attacked by the president. The integrity of the agency you lead has been degraded and you do nothing about it. Perhaps you also have been appointed to "dismantle" this agency.
— Mel (@FretodrmMel) 5 декабря 2017 г.
Chris Wray is another Comey! The FBI will never cooperate, we'll never get to the truth and Hillary will never go to prison. #CORRUPTION
— 🇺🇸 Christine 🇺🇸 (@MarieNoel45) 7 декабря 2017 г.
Recently, the FBI found itself entangled in a scandal concerning Trump’s possible ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential elections and an investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server for her government email. The firing of James Comey exacerbated the situation, and made Wray’s tenure even more challenging.
