House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, signaled he is not finished with his oversight of FBI Director Christopher Wray’s handling of the bureau, even after the intelligence official announced he was stepping down.
Jordan said Wray’s resignation was ‘great’ news and lambasted his handling of the FBI in comments to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
‘I mean, Chris Wray was, you know, investigating moms and dads who show up for school board meetings. He was putting out a memorandum on saying, ‘If you’re a pro-life Catholic, you’re an extremist.’ The FBI retaliated against whistleblowers who came and gave us that kind of information. We learned yesterday that they were spying on congressional staffers and their metadata. And of course, he raided President Trump’s home,’ Jordan said.
Wray previously denied targeting pro-life activists. He also defended the FBI’s handling of a Department of Justice (DOJ) memo raising alarms about conduct at school board meetings, though he said last year that there was ‘no compelling nationwide law enforcement justification’ for the directive to be issued.
Jordan has made no secret of his thoughts on Wray’s leadership, overseeing multiple inquiries by the House Judiciary Committee into his leadership.
When asked by Fox News Digital if that oversight will continue, Jordan said, ‘Oh, yeah.’
‘And there’s, we think, reports coming that are going to, you know, shed even more light on what’s been going on down line from the from the inspector general,’ Jordan said.
He also praised President-elect Trump’s new nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel.
Fox News first reported Wray’s intent to resign seven years into his 10-year term earlier on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Trump’s pick to replace him had already been meeting with senators for days ahead of an anticipated confirmation hearing.
‘After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then step down. My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,’ Wray told FBI colleagues. ‘In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.’
Jordan told Fox News Digital he was not surprised at Wray’s decision.
‘I mean when the president nominates someone to replace you, you’ve got to go, man,’ Jordan said.