FBI Director Christopher Wray is testifying today before the House Judiciary Committee about the breadth and impact of the work FBI employees do each day to protect the American people.
“The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly every day to protect the American people from a staggering array of threats,” Director Wray said. “The strength of any organization is its people. The threats we face as a nation have never been greater or more diverse, and the expectations placed on the FBI have never been higher. Our fellow citizens look to the FBI to protect the United States from all of those threats, and the men and women of the FBI continue to meet and exceed those expectations, every day. I want to thank them for their dedicated service.”
Director Wray highlighted the results of working shoulder-to-shoulder with federal, state, and local partners to:
- arrest more than 20,000 violent criminals and child predators in 2022
- target the leadership of cartels who are exploiting our southern border to traffic fentanyl and other dangerous drugs
- seize hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl so far in 2023
- run thousands of investigations into the Chinese government’s efforts to rob our businesses of their ideas and innovation and to repress freedom of speech in the United States.
Director Wray noted that during a time when other law enforcement agencies have struggled to recruit and retain employees, the FBI continues to attract applicants in near-record numbers and maintain a low attrition rate among special agents. These applicants and employees share a commitment to public service and a willingness to put others before themselves, he said.
Director Wray also addressed criticism of FBI leadership. “Today’s FBI leaders reflect the best of this organization,” Director Wray said. “An organization that’s made up of 38,000 men and women who are patriots, professionals, and dedicated public servants.”
Speaking about the FBI’s leadership team, Director Wray noted that the top eight leaders in the Bureau—none of whom is a political appointee—have worked in 21 different field offices and have a combined 130 years of field experience. Prior to joining the FBI, they have served in the Air Force, the Army, the Marines, as well as in state and local law enforcement.
Among the topics Director Wray is expected to be asked about during the lengthy hearing are:
- Violent crime
- Southwest border
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Section 702
- Responsiveness to congressional oversight
- Impact of proposed budget cuts to the FBI
- New FBI Headquarters
- Documents investigations
- Social media engagement
- Domestic terrorism
- Report of Special Counsel John Durham
- Attorney General’s school board memorandum
- Richmond Field Office’s intelligence product
- Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act
- Whistleblowers
- Subpoena of FD-1023
- Origins of COVID-19
Find more information about each of these topics at the links.
