Pressed by SC's Graham, FBI nominee says Russia probe no ‘witch hunt’
Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI broke with the president in key areas Wednesday, rejecting the idea that an investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign is a “witch hunt.
Under questioning by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, nominee Christopher Wray also said any foreign efforts to meddle in a U.S. election — as alleged in emails released by Donald Trump Jr. — should be reported to the FBI.
Wray, the former high-ranking Justice Department official whom Trump nominated last month, also promised not to cave to any pressure from a White House that has challenged boundaries with the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
Wray told senators at his confirmation hearing that he would never let politics get in the way of the FBI’s mission. And he said he “sure as heck” would not offer a pledge of loyalty to the president.
Asserting his independence, Wray said, “My loyalty is to the Constitution and the rule of law.”
Wray, 50, would inherit the FBI at a particularly challenging time given Trump’s abrupt dismissal of James Comey, who was admired within the bureau. Wray’s reserved approach could bode well for the agency at a time when its work has been thrust into the center of a political maelstrom.
But, Wray said, “Anybody who thinks that I would be pulling punches as FBI director sure doesn’t know me very well.”
After Trump dismissed Comey on May 9, the ex-FBI director said the president had asked him to pledge his loyalty. He also said Trump had encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The back-and-forth with lawmakers focused extensively on the Russia investigation, with Wray repeatedly voicing his respect for Robert Mueller, the former FBI director selected in May as the special counsel to oversee the probe.
Trump repeatedly has derided that investigation, using words such as “hoax” and “witch hunt.” But Wray said he would reject any efforts to interfere with Mueller’s work.
“I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt,” Wray said under questioning from Sen. Graham.
Responding to another question from Graham, Wray also said he had no reason to doubt the assessment of intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the U.S. election, a conclusion that Trump has dismissed.
And when asked by Graham about emails released Tuesday showing Trump Jr. was willing to take help from Russia during the campaign, Wray said any foreign efforts to meddle in an election should be reported to the FBI, not accepted.
‘The FBI would want to know’
An interchange Wednesday between U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Christopher Wray, President Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI
GRAHAM: “…Let me ask you this. If I got a call from somebody saying the Russian government wants to help Lindsey Graham get reelected, they’ve got dirt on Lindsey Graham’s opponent. Should I take that meeting”?
WRAY: “Senator I would think you’d want to consult with some good legal advisers before you did that.”
GRAHAM: “So the [question] is, should I call
the FBI?”
WRAY: “I think it would be wise. …”
GRAHAM: “… So here’s what I want you to tell every politician: If you get a call from somebody suggesting that a foreign government wants to help you by disparaging your opponent, tell us all to call the FBI.”
WRAY: “ ... Any threat or effort to interfere with our election by any nation state or any non-state actor is the kind of thing the FBI would want to know.”
This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 5:37 PM.