Judiciary Chair Grassley slams FBI Director Christopher Wray

Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the new head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, criticized FBI Director Christopher Wray for his “failed” leadership and asked for his resignation on Monday, as Fox News reported.

In a letter to Wray, Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized the FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, which led to the discovery of missing classified documents and charges against the former president, as "invasive and unwarranted."

According to Grassley, the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election unfairly targeted Trump and failed to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct inside the agency.

“These failures, are serious enough and their pattern widespread enough to have shattered my confidence in your leadership and the confidence and hope many others in Congress placed in you,” Grassley stated in an 11-page letter.

Wray's History

Trump picked Wray, who served seven years of a 10-year tenure. But Trump has criticized Wray for years.

Following his reelection, Trump appointed former national security officer Kash Patel as FBI director, suggesting he may dismiss Wray. Grassley advised Wray and Abbate to resign.

“For the good of the country, it's time for you and your deputy to move on,” Grassley wrote.

The FBI said it has frequently shown its commitment to congressional scrutiny.

More From the FBI

"Director Wray and Deputy Director Abbate have taken strong actions toward achieving accountability in the areas mentioned in the letter and remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work of the FBI," the statement said.

After Republicans took back the Senate in the recent election, Grassley's letter comes a month before he reclaims the FBI committee chairmanship. Patel's confirmation hearing would be led by Grassley.

Patel, who advised Trump's first-term national intelligence director and defense secretary, is a divisive FBI director candidate. Republican supporters like Louisiana House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged to revamp the agency.

However, Patel has threatened to investigate Trump's political adversaries and close the FBI's Washington headquarters to decentralize workers. In his memoir, former Trump attorney general Bill Barr stated Patel's appointment as FBI deputy director would happen “over my dead body.”