US Senate confirms Wray as new FBI director

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The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed Christopher Wray as new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a 92-5 vote, replacing James Comey, who was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump amid an investigation into Russian election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Wray was a high-ranking official in former President George W Bush’s justice department who oversaw investigations into corporate fraud.

Wray was admired within the bureau and won unanimous support from the Senate judiciary committee last month.

During his confirmation hearing, he said his loyalty is to constitution and rule of law. He would not bow to pressure from anyone even the president.

Some senators were quick to point out the current state of affairs within the administration Wray is joining.

“This is a tough time to take this tough job. The previous FBI director, as we know, was fired because of the Russia investigation. The former acting attorney general was fired,” Senator Amy Klobuchar, said during Senate debate. "And we’ve had a slew of other firings throughout the government over the last few months."

Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his nomination to be the director of the FBI in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo

Wray said he supports the current investigation being run by Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is looking into possible Russian election interference and collusion.