President Donald Trump tapped respected lawyer Christopher Wray to be his new FBI director Wednesday, on the eve of potentially explosive testimony on alleged Russian election interference by the agency's ousted chief James Comey. The former federal prosecutor was nominated to fill the post left vacant one month ago by Comey, who is set to be grilled by lawmakers Thursday over allegations the president sought to interfere with the FBI's Russia probe before sacking him. "I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow," Trump tweeted.
Wray served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's criminal division under president George W. Bush, from 2003 to 2005, working closely with the FBI. He will have limited power to influence the agency's Russia investigation, which was placed in the hands of an independent prosecutor - former FBI director Robert Mueller - following Comey's dismissal.
Trump's announcement was timed a day ahead of Comey's highly-anticipated testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and possible collusion with Trump's campaign. Comey is expected to dispute Trump's claim that the then-FBI chief told him multiple times that he was not under investigation, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with Comey's thinking.
But Comey will also be pressed over reports, citing private notes he wrote, that in three meetings and phone calls in January and February, Trump urged him to halt or ease up on the Russia probe's focus on his former national security advisor Michael Flynn. In addition, media reports say he pressured several top officials, including Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, to intervene in the investigation on Flynn's behalf. Coats is one of three officials coming under the spotlight in hearings taking place Wednesday, along with National Security Agency head Mike Rogers and interim FBI Director Andrew McCabe.
In a statement late Tuesday, a spokesman for Coats said he "has never felt pressured by the president or anyone else in the administration to influence any intelligence matters or ongoing investigations." No definitive evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia has yet come to light, and there have not been any formal accusations that Trump sought to obstruct the investigation.
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