By Steve Neavling
The Trump administration appears to be exploring options for a new FBI director, as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance indicated in a now-deleted social media post on Tuesday.
The move suggests President-elect Donald Trump may be looking to reshape leadership at the Justice Department, including at the FBI, where current Director Christopher Wray’s position seems increasingly uncertain.
Vance revealed that he and Trump had been conducting interviews for the FBI director position in a since-deleted post on X. The post was a response to criticism Vance received for missing a Senate vote on Monday to confirm one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“When this 11th Circuit vote happened, I was meeting with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director,” Vance wrote. “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45. But that’s just me.”
Trump appointed Christopher Wray as FBI director in 2017, following the abrupt dismissal of James Comey. However, Wray has faced increasing criticism from Trump and his allies in recent years, with accusations that he has failed to adequately address alleged corruption and political bias within the FBI. Trump allies have also faulted Wray for permitting the court-ordered search of Mar-a-Lago in 2022, which led to Trump being charged with mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice.
In July, Trump openly called for Wray’s resignation following a congressional hearing during which Wray affirmed Biden’s mental acuity.
“Wray has to resign, and NOW, for LYING TO CONGRESS!” Trump declared on Truth Social.
Wray, whose term runs until 2027, has previously expressed a desire to remain in his role if Trump were to return to office, but only under certain conditions.
“As long as I think I can continue doing that in a way that adheres to all those rules and norms, it’s what I’d like to keep doing,” Wray said in an interview with NBC last spring.
Vance’s disclosure about the FBI interviews stirred controversy on social media, as he faced backlash for missing the Senate vote. Grace Chong, a producer for Steve Bannon’s “War Room” webcast, took to X to criticize Vance and other GOP senators, urging them to “show up and do your one fricken job!!”
Vance fired back, calling Chong “a mouth-breathing imbecile who attacks those of us in the fight rather than make herself useful.” Both Vance and Chong later deleted their posts.
The potential search for a new FBI director underscores Trump’s focus on reshaping federal agencies he has frequently accused of being part of a so-called “deep state.”
