JD Vance accidentally reveals FBI Director Wray is likely being replaced

In an apparent display of frustration and anger, Vice President-elect JD Vance has revealed that the incoming Trump administration is considering replacing FBI Director Christopher Wray. Wray, appointed by Trump during his first term, following his dismissal of Jim Comey, now faces potential removal himself. If Trump proceeds with firing Wray, instead of Wray resigning, it would mark the unprecedented termination of two FBI directors, and each before completing their congressionally-mandated ten-year terms.

Vance on Tuesday had lashed out at a member of far-right podcaster Steve Bannon’s ultra-MAGA team, Grace Chong, after she criticized him for not showing up for a Senate vote on confirming a judge nominated by President Joe Biden.

“Grace Chong is a mouth breathing imbecile who attacks those of us in the fight rather than make herself useful,” Vance reportedly wrote in a post that has since been deleted. “If I had shown up to the vote in question, the nominee would have succeeded 49-46 rather than 49-45. If every Republican had showed up, Fetterman would have come in and the Democrats still would have gotten their nominee across. When this 11th Circuit vote happened, I was meeting with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.”

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In those last few words, Vance makes clear the Trump administration is at least considering replacing Director Wray, with whom Trump has a personal vendetta. Wray would likely have had to authorize the FBI’s execution of a legal search warrant on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and residence, an effort to retrieve classified and top secret documents Trump removed from the White House during his first term and refused to return.

“Within an hour, both Chong and Vance had deleted their posts—but it was too late,” The New Republic reported on Tuesday, calling Vance’s tweet a “childish temper tantrum.”

“The vice president-elect had already demonstrated that while he may understand how math works, he doesn’t have the slightest idea how to lead his party. By Vance’s own logic, it makes no difference whether any of his Republican colleagues do their jobs and show up to vote either.”

Director Wray’s ten-year term ends in August of 2027.

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Talking Points Memo on Tuesday evening, after the Vance’s tweet, reported, “it would be a massive break from precedent for Donald Trump to come into office with plans to replace the FBI director, a position that’s given a 10-year term specifically to inoculate against partisan politics seeping into the bureau’s operations.”

“But it is increasingly looking like Trump will do just that,” TPM wrote, adding: “Trump’s initial beef with Wray actually dates back to 2018. Not long after Wray was appointed and confirmed as FBI director, House Republicans (led by none other than then-Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA)) planned to publish a memo that condemned the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation.”

Wray opposed the memo, and in doing so, sided against both House Republicans and the Trump White House.