Report: Trump Almost Fired Chris Wray Last Spring Until Barr Threatened To Quit

FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee July 12, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. If confirmed, Wray will fill the position that has been left behind by former director James Comey who was fired by President Donald Trump about two months ago.
FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee July 12, 2017 on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Then-President Donald Trump was on the edge of ousting FBI Director Christopher Wray to install people he considered to be loyal to him in April 2020, according to Politico.

The former president had “always flirted with the idea” of firing Wray, one ex-Trump official told Politico, which buttresses multiple reports of Trump mulling the FBI director’s ouster for contradicting MAGAland’s bogus “deep state” and voter fraud conspiracy theories.

But Trump’s desire to do so “was intense as it ever was” that spring for reasons that are unclear, according to another former official.

He reportedly planned to fire Wray and replace him with National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina. Then Kash Patel, Rep. Devin Nunes’ (R-CA) former staffer who crafted the House GOP’s memo attacking the Mueller probe, would be appointed as FBI deputy director. This was to make sure the agency included “trusted people,” one ex-official told Politico.

However, the White House scuttled the plan when then-Attorney General Bill Barr told White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and chief of staff Mark Meadows that he would quit if those personnel changes were made at the FBI without his approval, according to Politico.

The White House had been “hoping” Wray’s firing “would be a fait accompli,” a former official reportedly said.

Axios reported in October that Trump had put the FBI director on the chopping block in the event that he won reelection in the 2020 race.

However, Trump ultimately lost the race to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who has kept Wray in his post.

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Notable Replies

  1. This bullshit will pick right back up where Trump left off when he’s elected again in 2024.

  2. We knew part of this–that Barr had to threaten to quit in order to halt some of Fat Don’s most ridiculous plans.

    And no, he’s not going to be re-elected in 2024.

  3. So is Joe just keeping Wray on-board just to drive T**** nuttier?

  4. When the ethical compass in the room is the Pope of Golden Corral…

    You need to jump out a window.

  5. Barr moved on Trump like a ***** and the latter couldn’t get it done. Shows who was the real boss of the relationship and who was the timid beta. Sad.

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