By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump wasteful Christopher Wray highly praised When he appointed himself FBI director in 2017introducing him as “an impeccably qualified individual” and a “model of integrity”.

A lot has changed in the seven years since then.

Wray’s days as director may be numbered as Trump prepares to take back the White House. Although the director’s duty covers a period of 10 years, Harsh and repeated criticism of Trump Having his own appointee run raises the possibility that Trump will replace Wray when he takes office, or that Wray will leave on his own to avoid being fired. Such a move would give Trump a chance to reshape the FBI’s leadership in his own image at a time when he is threatening to pursue his own political rivals.

“He loves his job, he’s dedicated to the bureau, he’s an outstanding public servant — but I don’t think he would lobby for the job,” said Gregory Brower, a former FBI official who served as director of congressional affairs until 2018. “For Wray,” he said.

“If the new president wants to replace him, then that’s what the new president will do,” he added. “I think we’ll probably see that based on what Trump has said in the past.”

Trump’s transition office did not respond to an email seeking comment. Wray continues to oversee the bureau’s day-to-day operations, including visiting the FBI’s election command center several times this week, and plans to lead the workforce with his team next year, an FBI official said. The official, an executive who interacts with Wray on a daily basis, was not authorized to discuss details publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump hasn’t spoken publicly about Wray in recent days, but he’s known to pay particular attention to the FBI and Justice Department, in part because His first term and post-presidency life were overshadowed by investigations, Including two incidents that have now resulted in indictments. The positions are closely watched because whoever occupies them could face Trump’s desire for revenge against rivals, even if longstanding guardrails complicate such plans. FBI faces more global threats more than at any time in recent memory.

A recent Supreme Court opinion granting broad immunity Accusations against former presidents could also embolden Trump to call for special Justice Department investigations, as he did during his first term.

Wray was nominated to replace him in June 2017 James Comey, FBI Director Trump inherited from President Barack Obama and was subsequently fired He is in the middle of an investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. A respected Republican lawyer who served as a senior official in the Justice Department. George W. Bush Trump administration recommended Wray to Trump Chris Christie After representing the then-governor of New Jersey in an investigation into the closure of the George Washington Bridge.

“In 2017, the President wanted an FBI director who had bipartisan support and a reputation for integrity, who would maintain a low public profile and be deferential to the Attorney General,” said Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general at the time of Wray’s appointment. Email AP this week,

It didn’t take long for Wray to provoke Trump’s ire.

She broke up with Trump in 2018 over the administration’s declassification of information about FBI surveillance of her former campaign aide. Carter Page. He later angered Trump for his testimony at the convention highlighted the threat of interference in the election From Russia at a time when Trump is focusing on China. He also described antifaAn umbrella term for left-wing militants, the term is an ideology rather than an organization, at odds with Trump, who wants to describe itself as a terrorist group.

Wray’s business was in a precarious state during Trump’s 2020 election defeat; Trump refused to give Wray a vote of confidence before the election, and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. posted online that Wray was working to “protect corrupt Democrats.” .” But the president left it in place.

Trump’s view of FBI leadership soured further in 2022 after agents searched his Florida home for classified documents; this action resulted in indictments on dozens of charges. Last summer, Trump blamed the FBI for not immediately confirming that he had been struck by a bullet during an assassination attempt and even took to social media to call on Wray to resign after the director vouched for the President. Joe Biden His mental acuity during the congressional hearing.