Christopher Ray

Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966 ) is an American attorney who is the current director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

His paternal grandfather, T. Cecil Wray, was the city manager of Brentwood, Tennessee from 1971 to 1973.

His paternal great-grandfather, Taylor Malone, was also a Vanderbilt graduate, and the co-founder and president of Malone & Hyde, "one of the South's largest wholesale grocery firms."

His maternal grandfather, Samuel E. Gates, "helped shape the laws that govern national and international airline flights" as an official of the Bureau of Air Commerce.

Wray attended the private Buckley School in New York City and the private boarding school Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

Born in New York City, Wray graduated from Yale University in 1989, then attended Yale Law School.

After graduating, Wray attended Yale University where he majored in philosophy and graduated cum laude in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

He then attended Yale Law School, where he was the executive editor of the Yale Law Journal and graduated in 1992 with a Juris Doctor.

After graduating from law school, Wray served as a law clerk to Judge J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

He joined government in 1997 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

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.

From 2003 to 2005, Wray served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division in George W. Bush's administration.

On June 9, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Wray to be the 33rd Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department.

Wray was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 11, 2003.

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 early 2004, the Justice Department issued a finding that the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program under the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) was unconstitutional.

Under White House procedures, DoJ approval was required in order for the program to be renewed.

He later was a litigation partner with the law firm King & Spalding from 2005 to 2016.

In March 2005, Wray announced that he would resign from his post.

In 2005, Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the Justice Department's highest award for public service and leadership.

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.

Wray's firm also represents Russian energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft, an issue which came under contention during the confirmation process for position of FBI Director.

In 2006, it was revealed DoJ officials came under pressure from the White House to change this ruling, and that then-FBI Director Robert Mueller and Comey had prepared their resignations if the White House overruled it.

In 2013, it was revealed that Wray threatened to resign along with them over the matter.

Among other testimony, when asked if he believed that the investigation into Russian 2016 election interference and possible links to Trump's campaign is a "witch hunt", he stated that he did not.

He was nominated by president Donald Trump on June 7, 2017, and has served since August 2, 2017.

On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Wray to replace James Comey as Director of the FBI.

He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 30, and took office on August 2.

Wray is a registered Republican.

Christopher Asher Wray was born in New York City.

His father, Cecil A. Wray Jr., was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Yale Law School who worked as a lawyer at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City.

Following the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie presented to President Donald Trump the possibility of hiring Wray as Comey's replacement.

Trump interviewed Wray for the vacant FBI Director job on May 30, 2017, according to then Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

On June 7, 2017, Trump announced his intention to nominate Wray to be the next FBI Director.

Wray's Senate confirmation hearing commenced on July 12, 2017.

On July 20, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended to confirm Wray as the next Director of the FBI.