Sen. Chuck Grassley says Christopher Wray ‘has failed’ as FBI director

Sen. Charles E. Grassley said Sunday that FBI Director Christopher A. Wray has failed at doing his job at the agency.

Mr. Grassley, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted on X that Mr. Wray has “failed at fundamental duties of FBI” director, one day after President-elect Donald Trump tapped former national security official Kash Patel to be the bureau’s next leader.

The Iowa Republican said Mr. Wray has shown “disdain” for congressional “oversight and hasn’t lived up to his promises.”

“It’s time to chart a new course for transparency and accountability at the FBI. Kash Patel must prove to Congress he will reform and restore public trust in the FBI,” Mr. Grassley added.

Mr. Grassley is in line to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee when Republicans take control of the Senate in January, and has been at odds with the FBI for years.

He has investigated reports of FBI abuse of power, retaliation against whistleblowers, election interference, manipulation of crime statistics, sexual misconduct, bureau discrimination based on political and religious beliefs, intentional withholding or slow walking of requested documents, and intimidation of private citizens who attended school board meetings.

Mr. Patel will face questioning by Mr. Grassley’s committee before his nomination can be sent to the entire Senate for a vote.

Mr. Wray, a 2017 appointee of Mr. Trump, has overseen the bureau through the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and almost four years of FBI investigations and arrests of those who participated.

He has been scrutinized by congressional Republicans for the FBI’s lack of transparency in investigations related to the riot, its memo to probe the Catholic Church, the raid on Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida and the pursuit of pro-life activists who protested at abortion clinics.

Mr. Patel is a familiar face in Mr. Trump’s orbit, having held multiple roles during his first administration, including chief of staff at the Defense Department, deputy director of national intelligence and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.

His name was also floated by Mr. Trump to lead the CIA toward the end of his term.

“Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing his nomination Saturday.

The FBI and Mr. Trump have had a tense history since the 2016 presidential campaign. Under James B. Comey, the bureau launched its Crossfire Hurricane investigation of the Trump campaign’s alleged links to Russia in July 2016.

Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey in 2017 raised suspicions in the Justice Department that the president was obstructing justice, leading to special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-running and costly investigation.

Mr. Mueller ultimately found no evidence that Trump campaign officials conspired with or were connected to Moscow.