Former FBI Director Christopher Wray is reportedly under federal investigation for potential obstruction of justice, false statements, and the mishandling of classified materials, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal.
The probe—described as expanding in scope—focuses on Wray’s leadership during the final years of the Biden administration, specifically his role in overseeing politically sensitive matters, including the Durham investigation into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe.
Citing sources with direct knowledge, the Journal reports that subpoenas have recently been issued to several former senior FBI officials. Among those also under scrutiny is former CIA Director John Brennan, who played a central role in the intelligence community during the Trump era.
A separate report by CNN states that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia is leading a national security–focused investigation into whether FBI leadership, under Wray, concealed or destroyed evidence related to the Durham inquiry.
Investigators are reportedly looking into the use of “burn bags” on the FBI headquarters’ seventh floor, where the director and top leadership are based. The concern is whether documents tied to the Durham probe were improperly destroyed between 2020 and 2024, while Wray was still in charge.
Current and former FBI personnel who worked on that floor during that period have been interviewed. The investigation reportedly involves multiple prosecutors and is drawing renewed attention from oversight committees and current FBI Director Kash Patel, who replaced Wray earlier this year.
Allegations of False Testimony
Wray is also accused of providing misleading testimony to Congress in 2020 and 2021, when he stated that the FBI had found no evidence of coordinated election interference. However, a recently declassified intelligence report, provided to Congress by Director Patel, contradicts that claim. The report alleges that the Chinese government mass-produced counterfeit U.S. driver’s licenses ahead of the 2020 election, allegedly to assist in mail-in ballot fraud favoring Joe Biden.
Another allegation involves Wray’s testimony about the controversial 2023 “Richmond product”—an internal FBI memo that linked “radical-traditionalist Catholics” to potential domestic terrorism threats. While Wray testified the memo came from a single field office and was retracted quickly, congressional investigators later uncovered that it had been distributed to over 1,000 employees and coordinated with at least two additional field offices.
A draft version prepared for outside distribution reportedly repeated the same unsubstantiated claims, leading Sen. Chuck Grassley (R–IA) to accuse Wray of giving “inaccurate and incomplete” testimony. Grassley revealed that over a dozen related FBI documents were found, suggesting a broader initiative rather than a rogue product.
The Oversight Project has argued that Wray’s actions may constitute obstruction of Congress and perjury, given the discrepancies in his sworn statements.
Internal FBI Shake-Up Under New Director
These developments come amid a broader overhaul at the FBI under Director Kash Patel, who has dismissed several top officials and dissolved the Washington Field Office’s corruption unit known as CR-15. Patel has also severed ties with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), labeling them “partisan smear machines.”
Patel has promised to restore transparency and integrity to the Bureau, saying the agency is undergoing a “deep cleanse of a diseased institution three decades in the making.”
He also confirmed a joint FBI–Treasury Department investigation into financial networks linked to extremist groups, including Antifa, declaring: “Money never lies, and we’ll follow it to every source in every city.”
Growing Legal and Political Consequences
The federal investigation into Wray spans multiple jurisdictions and highlights deepening divisions within the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities. While some defenders view Wray as a stabilizing force during politically turbulent times, critics argue his tenure marked one of the most politicized and opaque periods in FBI history.
As of now, neither Wray nor his legal team has issued a public comment. The Justice Department and the FBI have also declined to respond to media inquiries regarding the investigation.
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