President-elect Donald Trump's move to force out FBI Director Christopher Wray — whom he appointed in the first place after firing James Comey for not shutting down the Russia investigation — is yet another demonstration that Trump not only sees himself as above the law, but requires adherence to that as his bar for staying in his good graces, Jonathan Chait wrote for The Atlantic.
This comes as Trump gears up to put the FBI in the hands of Kash Patel, a MAGA loyalist and former Pentagon chief of staff who is notorious for his conspiracy theories and a "Deep State" enemies list that even includes several Republicans.
Wray, despite himself being a lifelong member of the Republican Party, "proved unable to meet Trump’s expectations for the position, which are (1) to permit Trump and his allies to violate the law with impunity, and (2) to investigate anybody who interferes with (1)," wrote Chair. "Wray, wrestling with the problem of Trump’s desire to separate him from a job he apparently liked, chose to step down on his own. This raises the likelihood that the media will treat the replacement of Wray as normal administrative turnover rather than as a scandal."
But that's not how any of this should be understood, Chait warned — it should be seen as yet another attack on the rule of law and a dismantling of the nation's principles.
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"Trump continues to go to war with people he appointed himself," Chait continued. "Wray is not a Democrat, nor is he a Never Trumper. He’s a Republican picked by Trump. So was former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a Trump loyalist, and his successor, William Barr, who auditioned to succeed Sessions by performing even more obsequious loyalty to Trump. The problem that keeps arising is that there is no way to remain in Trump’s favor while following the law."
With all these harsh words for Trump, Chait also concluded on a scathing note against Wray — who, in stepping down three years early from his 10-year term without forcing Trump to fire him, failed to stand up for his institution and the people below him.
"The president-elect had been facing the unpleasant task of firing a lifelong Republican whom he had selected himself, inviting the national media to raise ugly questions about his oft-confessed desire to turn the federal criminal-justice apparatus into a weapon of political vengeance," he concluded. "Instead, Wray, like so many Republicans who couldn’t stomach Trump’s demands, decided to go gentle into that good night. Nobody except Wray will remember where they were when Christopher Wray resigned."
