Christopher Wray pictured in 2003.
Mark Wilson/Getty
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had selected the former federal prosecutor Christopher Wray to be his new F.B.I. director. The announcement, which will not have to be approved by the Senate, was made via the president's Twitter account.
I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2017
Wray is a former assistant attorney general who oversaw the criminal division under President George W. Bush between 2003-2005. He is now a partner at the Washington law firm King & Spalding,
The announcement comes one day before the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey is scheduled to testify in front of the Senate about his role in the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Trump fired Comey in May shortly after he reportedly told associates that he felt the president was trying to influence him to drop inquiries that could affect him personally. Comey was appointed as FBI director by President Obama in 2013.