Trump to nominate Christopher Wray as FBI director

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Christopher Wray in 2003.

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Trump tweeted Wednesday that he will nominate Christopher A. Wray to replace James Comey as the director of the FBI. The decision comes one day before Comey will testify in a highly anticipated hearing before the Senate on whether Trump pressured him to end a probe into ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's ties to Russia.

Wray, a former assistant attorney general of the criminal division under President George W. Bush, was interviewed by Trump for the position in late May. Wray was also a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, and he now works as a private attorney, The Washington Times reports.

Notably, Wray represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) during the Bridgegate scandal. Christie told NorthJersey.com that the president would "not be making a mistake if he asked Chris Wray to be FBI director" earlier this month.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.