This may be because he had many conflicts with Trump and was forced to resign early to express his attitude under the pressure of liquidation.
Trump’s appointment and early cooperation: In 2017, during his first presidential term, Trump appointed U.S. Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray as FBI Director for a 10-year term.
Conflicts with Trump
The first is to dispatch the FBI to raid Mar-a-Lago. During the Biden administration, Christopher Wray approved FBI agents to raid Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August 2022 and seize hundreds of documents. The classified documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House were considered by Trump to be a betrayal of him. This also became the key beginning of the "secret documents scandal" in two federal criminal proceedings against Trump.
The second is to participate in the investigation and criticism of Trump. With the authorization of Christopher Wray, FBI agents also participated in special prosecutor Jack Smith's investigation of Trump's alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Trump and his allies in Congress have repeatedly criticized Wray and the FBI, saying the agency has been "politicized."
The third is the verbal conflict with Trump. In July 2024, Trump suffered an assassination attempt while attending a presidential campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania. Christopher Wray testified before Congress and raised serious doubts about whether the object piercing Trump's right ear was a bullet or shrapnel, which seriously angered Trump.
Intention to change: After Trump was elected president, he announced his plan to nominate Kash Patel as Wray's successor on November 30, and repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Wray, saying "he broke into my house."
Christopher Wray's decision to resign
On December 11, Christopher Wray announced his resignation to FBI employees, saying that he made this decision "after weeks of careful consideration" in order to avoid dragging the FBI into deeper disputes and allow the FBI to focus on its mission.
Outside opinion: The Associated Press analyzed that Christopher Wray's decision to resign is not surprising considering that Trump has selected Patel as FBI director.