DEVELOPING: Christopher Wray named as Trump’s new FBI director nominee

President Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Christopher A. Wray, a white collar criminal defense attorney who led Justice Department’s Criminal Division under President George W. Bush, as the new FBI director.
“I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow,” Mr. Trump tweeted.

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The announcement comes as former FBI Director James B. Comey, whom Mr. Trump abruptly fired in May, is set to testify on Capitol Hill Thursday concerning the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

Mr. Wray served as personal attorney for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the “Bridgegate” scandal.

He is a former prosecutor and Justice Department official who now works as an private attorney. He joined the department in 1997, working as a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

In 2001, Mr. Wray came to D.C. to work as an associate deputy attorney general in the Justice Department. President George W. Bush later nominated him to serve as assistant Attorney General in charge of the criminal division, a position he held from 2003 to 2005. That position required Senate approval.