Christopher A. Wray
Quick Facts
Biography
Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966) is an American lawyer. Wray is currently serving as the 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
From 2003 to 2005, Wray served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division in the George W. Bush Administration. From 2005 to 2017, he was a litigation partner with the law firm King & Spalding.
Early life and education
Wray was born in New York City. He attended the Buckley School in New York City and the private boarding school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In 1989, Wray graduated cum laude from Yale University, and earned his J.D. degree in 1992 at Yale Law School. While at Yale, Wray was the Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Wray spent a year clerking for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Career
Government service
Wray joined the government in 1997 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. In 2001, he moved to the Justice Department as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.
In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wray as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Wray was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Wray was Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2005, working under Deputy Attorney General James Comey. While heading the Criminal Division, Wray oversaw prominent fraud investigations, including Enron.
In 2005, Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Justice Department's highest award for public service and leadership.
Private law practice
Wray joined King & Spalding in 2005 as a litigation partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. and Atlanta offices. Wray represented several Fortune 100 companies and chaired the King & Spalding Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group. During his time at King & Spalding, Wray acted as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's personal attorney during the Bridgegate scandal.
FBI Director
On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Wray to be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, replacing James Comey, who was fired by Trump on May 9, 2017. Trump interviewed Wray for the vacant FBI Director job on May 30, 2017, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Wray's senate confirmation hearing commenced on July 12, 2017. Among other testimony, when asked if he believed that the investigation into Russian election interference and possible links to Trump's campaign is a "witch hunt", he stated that he did not.
On July 20, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended to confirm Wray as the next Director of the FBI. Wray was officially confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support on August 1, 2017; the vote was 92–5. He was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a private ceremony on August 2, 2017.
Personal life
Wray married Helen Garrison Howell, a Yale classmate, in 1989. They have two children and live in Georgia. He is registered as a Republican.