FBI Director Christopher Wray, reacting for the first time to former President Donald Trump’s pledge to order the Justice Department to investigate political opponents, said: “Our rules, our procedures, our best practices, our core… It’s about values.”
In an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt at FBI headquarters on Tuesday, Wray said that as long as he is FBI director, “I’m going to make sure we do the right thing the right way.”
“And that means obeying the law, following our rules, staying true to our core values, and enforcing the law without fear or favor,” he added.
FBI rules prohibit agents from initiating investigations without evidence of a crime, and Justice Department rules prohibit agents from making decisions about investigations or prosecutions for the purpose of favoring or disadvantaging a candidate or political party. It is stipulated that it must not be lowered.
Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 to a 10-year term. When asked if he would continue as FBI director if Trump were re-elected, Wray said: I love her FBI people. They are some of the nicest people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. And as long as I think I can continue to do it in a way that adheres to all those rules and norms, that’s what I want to continue doing. ”
Trump repeatedly criticized Wray in public before leaving office in 2021, and since then, he has particularly slammed the FBI’s role in the 2022 search for classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home. Ta. Therefore, it is widely believed that if President Trump elects Mr. Wray, he will seek to remove him and appoint a new director.
In response to questions, Wray also broke with Trump over the former president’s Jan. 6 reference to the defendants as “hostages.”
“The defendants in the January 6th incident are criminal defendants who are being charged with federal crimes, and my view is that they are appearing before an independent court as part of our legal system,” Ray said. . “There are all kinds of people in our country who are upset and angry about everything and everyone. But the First Amendment states that there are correct ways to express how upset you are. And there’s violence, violence against law enforcement, destruction of federal property.”
In the wide-ranging interview, Wray also cited a range of national security threats, including from terrorism, cyberattacks and the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok.
When asked about protests and violence on college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war, the FBI said, “We are working with state and local law enforcement, campus law enforcement, and other agencies to ensure we stay ahead of threats.” “We are working diligently to crack down on this,” he said. Eliminate anti-Semitic violence and prevent violence against the Jewish community. ”
He said the FBI does not monitor protests, but “shares information about specific threats of violence with campus and state and local law enforcement.”
Mr. Wray’s recent comments since October 7 highlight that the threat of terrorism, particularly from lone actors and small groups radicalized domestically by war, remains as high as ever. repeated. But he also said there was growing concern about a coordinated terrorist attack in a public place, which intelligence officials had viewed as highly unlikely for the past decade.
“We are increasingly concerned [about] “It’s possible that there will be some kind of coordinated attack here in the homeland, but it might not be all that different from what we saw from ISIS-K against a concert hall in Russia a few weeks ago,” he said.
Asked to explain the real-world national security threat posed by TikTok as Congress moves to pass legislation that would force the Chinese owners to sell the platform, Mr. Wray was emphatic.
He said national security officials believe TikTok has given Chinese intelligence agencies “the ability to collect data, control the recommendation algorithms, which could advance the cause of the Chinese Communist Party or pro-Chinese Communist Party causes and influence the Chinese government.” He said he was concerned about the ability to downplay criticism. In effect, it enlists millions of users as unwitting supporters of Chinese Communist Party propaganda. ”
He added that the Chinese government “also has the ability to control the software, which gives it the opportunity to technologically compromise devices, mobile phones, millions of mobile phones.”
Asked what he would say to the millions of Americans who regularly use TikTok for work or pleasure and simply don’t care about the perceived risks, Wray said: “My message is that we need to consider who is Chinese.” Who is the government? Who is the Chinese Communist Party? ”
Wray also reiterated his assessment that China, Russia, and Iran may attempt to interfere in the next election, and that all three countries continue to engage in cyber espionage and offensive cyber operations against the United States. . He said China is poised to destroy critical infrastructure if the United States attempts to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression.
He said a Chinese cyber bomb planted against critical infrastructure “could cause panic and crush U.S. resistance, such as in Beijing’s efforts to attack Taiwan.” Ta.
Wray lamented the increase in threats of violence against public officials, including FBI agents.
“Certainly in recent years, we have seen an increase in threats to FBI personnel and FBI facilities,” he said. “It’s unacceptable. And, frankly, despicable. But this is part of a broader phenomenon of intimidation and violence against law enforcement and public officials. Threatening people just for doing their jobs. It’s truly outrageous to start talking about this.”
“You shouldn’t be targeted just because you have a badge,” he added.
Asked what he thought was causing the threats, Ray said: “Right now, there is a widespread phenomenon in which people from all walks of life across the United States, when they are angry about something, use violence as a way to express it. And it is incredibly dangerous and problematic. It’s a question.
He added that he believed there were other factors fueling the threats. That is, some Americans do not view FBI investigations, trials, and court proceedings as fair or just unless the outcome is “what they wanted.”
“That can’t be the standard of fairness, objectivity and legitimacy. Otherwise we’re in hell,” Ray said.
