FBI Director Wray Says Mueller is Not on a “Witch Hunt”

In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday,cFBI Director Christopher Wray testified that he did NOT agree with President Donald Trump’s comments that the investigation being carried on by special counsel Robert Mueller is a “witch hunt.”

Wray sat before the Judiciary Committee beside Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz while both men took questions from senators about the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Clinton and Trump investigations.

Not only has President Trump been claiming for months that Mueller‘s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia is a “witch hunt” but he also in recent days has been using the Inspector General’s report to support his baseless assertions.

Because the Inspector General’s report found a small amount of anti-Trump bias on the part of a small number of FBI agents, Trump stated that the report “completely discredits” the Mueller probe.

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Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont asked the FBI Director about these claims by the president.

“The Special Counsel investigation has already resulted in an indictment of 20 individuals and three Russian companies,” Leahy said. “Do you have any reason to believe that this investigation has been discredited?”

“Senator, as I said to you last month and as I said before, I don’t believe Special Counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt,” Wray replied.

This is not the first time that Wray has been supportive of the investigation that is being carried on by the special counsel with the help of the FBI.  He has consistently said in the past that there was no bias against Trump within the FBI, and that there had been no interference into the investigation.

For example, in February we reported that:

“FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a statement to the agency’s employees saying he stands with them after a document written by congressional Republicans alleging bias against President Donald Trump at the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation was made public.”

Last September we reported that:

“FBI Director Christopher Wray said he has not “detected any whiff of interference” into the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.”

It is important that Wray stand behind the FBI and behind Mueller at this time, while President Trump and his TV lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been attacking them constantly.  Trump wants to take away the public’s confidence in the nation’s top law enforcement agency which is unconscionable since these are the people who risk their lives to keep America safe.

Wray was appointed by Trump to his position after former FBI Director James Comey was fired.  And now Wray has shown that he has the courage and integrity that is typical of FBI agents, by standing up to the president and saying very clearly that there is no witch hunt.

America would be much better off if Republicans in Congress would display the same kind of courage and integrity that is being demonstrated by Christopher Wray to the American people.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.