Jake Tapper Corrects Republican Congressman Who Says Biden ‘Appointed’ Christopher Wray: ‘The FBI Director Was Appointed by Donald Trump’
CNN’s Jake Tapper spoke with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on Thursday’s edition of The Lead, where the host offered a fact check in real-time.
Tapper pointed to the fallout among conservatives who reacted with outrage to last week’s FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Florida estate. Agents took several boxes of government documents that were supposed to be turned over when Trump left office. Some conservatives have been fiercely critical of the FBI since, with some House Republicans demanding the agency be defunded.
“I should note that this also comes as Donald Trump and his team leaked to friendly media the full warrant that listed the names – unredacted – the actual names of the FBI agents,” Tapper told Turner. “You had that MAGA lunatic attack the FBI headquarters there in Ohio. Are you concerned at all about some of the rhetoric you’ve heard from some of your Republican colleagues?”
Turner replied that he’s already called demands to defund the FBI “outrageous,” though he went on to criticize Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“We certainly support and believe and honor the men and women who serve in the FBI,” Turner continued. “It’s the leadership, it’s the two individuals that have been appointed by this president,” Turner added. “The FBI Director, Wray who serves at the pleasure of the president, and of course Attorney General Garland that have questions to answer, both to the American public and to Congress and to our Intelligence Committee about their actions.”
Tapper pointed out that Wray was actually appointed by Trump.
“Yeah, I mean, just a note that Christopher Wray – the FBI director – was appointed by Donald Trump,” Tapper said.
“He serves at the pleasure of this president,” Turner replied. “So, he is an appointee of the current president because he stayed. He was originally appointed by Trump in the position. Absolutely, I agree. But he’s there because of President Biden.”
“We hear each other,” Tapper responded.
Contrary to Turner’s apparent understanding of the word “appointee,” simply not being fired by someone – as Biden could do to Wray – does not make that person an “appointee” of the person who is not firing them.
Once FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, they serve 10-year-terms and do not need to be reappointed.
Trump famously flouted this convention by firing James Comey in 2017.
Watch above via CNN.
