WASHINGTON (AP) – FBI Director Christopher Wray is making changes to his senior leadership team, as President Donald Trump has continued to attack the bureau for perceived biases against him and has been calling for a shakeup at the top.
Officials said Tuesday that Wray, who started the job in August, is replacing two top aides who were promoted into their roles by his predecessor James Comey. Such changes are not unusual when a new director takes change, but they are notable amid Trump’s public pressure on Wray to get rid of officials who were confidantes of Comey, who was fired by the president in May.
The Justice Department confirmed that Dana Boente, the outgoing U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who has also been acting as head of the department’s national security division, will become the FBI’s general counsel. He replaces James A. Baker, an ally of Comey’s who was reassigned in December.
Wray said his chief of staff, Jim Rybicki, notified him last month of his decision to take a job in the private sector. Zachary Harmon, a former Justice Department official who also worked with Wray in private practice, will be taking Rybicki’s place.
In this Jan. 18, 2018, photo, FBI Chief of Staff Jim Rybicki, left, returns after a break to his interview by a joint investigation of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington. FBI Director Christopher Wray says his chief of staff is leaving for a private sector job. Rybicki notified him last month of his decision. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Trump’s blistering attacks on the FBI have proven a tough challenge for Wray in his first months on the job as he tries to make changes while maintaining public confidence and restoring bureau morale.