Christopher Wray's Law Enforcement Career Has Led to a Substantial Net Worth
The FBI director has a lot of money, but not from his government work.
Published Dec. 12 2024, 11:28 a.m. ET
Donald Trump's election comes with the understanding that he will smash through many of the norms that have historically governed most presidents. FBI directors usually sit for 10-year terms, but Trump was planning to fire Christopher Wray, the current FBI director (whom he appointed during his first term) in favor of another nominee.
Following the news that Wray was going to be replaced, Wray for some reason decided to do the future president a favor and resign from his post before Trump even took office. Following the news that he would be resigning from the FBI, many want to know what Christopher Wray's net worth is. Here's what we know.
What is Christopher Wray's net worth?
Wray's net worth is between $20 and $40 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. Before he was appointed FBI director, Wray was working as a lawyer with the firm King & Spalding, and he had apparently made $9.2 million in the 18 months before he was appointed the FBI director. As FBI director, he makes $172,000/year, but he made most of his money during his work as a private lawyer.
Christopher Wray
Director of the FBI
Net worth: $30 Million
Wray is a lawyer and Republican who was appointed to serve as the FBI director in 2017. Prior to being appointed FBI director, Wray had worked in the Bush Justice Department as an assistant attorney general, and he spent more than a decade at the law firm King & Spalding. Wray announced he would resign from the FBI when Donald Trump takes office.
Birthdate: Dec. 17, 1966
Birthplace: New York, N.Y.
Birth Name: Christopher Asher Wray
Father: Cecil A. Wray
Some people see Christopher Wray's resignation as anticipatory obedience.
Trump has already signaled that he wants to appoint Kash Patel as director of the FBI in his second term. Patel, a devout Trump loyalist who has already built out an "enemies list" of people he wants to investigate, would be a worrying pick for such a powerful position in part because his loyalties reside with Trump and not with the long-standing traditions of the FBI and American democracy.
Firing the FBI director is supposed to be a big deal, and it was in 2017 when Trump took exactly that step in firing James Comey. He appointed Wray as his replacement, and now, Wray has decided to resign instead of fighting for his job and extracting a political cost from Trump for having to fire him. Some people see this as "anticipatory obedience," a term coined by historian Timothy Snyder. It essentially means obeying a potential autocrat before they have even given an order.
This is how many autocrats around the world have consolidated their power. When those who can resist norm-breaking simply choose not to, they are giving Trump and figures like him exactly what they want.
While it's possible that Patel will not be confirmed or will be a more conventional FBI director than expected, there were many who saw Wray's resignation as a worrying sign.