So, in an announcement clearly timed to distract from James Comey's Senate testimony tomorrow, Donald Trump has nominated Christopher Wray as FBI Director.
Here are a few things to know about Wray:
1. He was New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's personal lawyer during the Bridgegate scandal. To be clear, it's not like Wray was a public defender or legal aid lawyer being assigned cases. He is a high-powered private attorney who chose to take a case defending a state executive in a matter concerning an egregious abuse of power.
2. His law firm advises the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which holds his business assets. Another partner at the firm is the ethics adviser to the trust. This presents a potential conflict of interest, which would need to be closely examined during his nomination hearing.
3. He worked for the Bush administration, and Marcy Wheeler notes a few things about Wray's time there: The ACLU's torture database has a number of entirely redacted documents involving Wray, and Wray was inappropriately briefing then-Attorney General John Ashcroft during the investigation into outing Valerie Plame, which is what ultimately "led to Ashcroft's recusal and the appointment, by Deputy Attorney General Jim Comey, of Patrick Fitzgerald as special counsel."
A lot of folks are saying this is a good, solid pick. Suffice it to say, I have concerns.
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