Even liberals and Democrats are having a difficult time opposing Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Christopher Wray.
Wray was confirmed unanimously by voice vote in 2003 to become assistant attorney general under George W. Bush, and some Democrats apparently still harbor good feelings toward him despite his representation of NJ Gov. Chris Christie during the Bridgegate scandal.
According to reporting by CNN, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wray “may be fine.”
“You know, she actually said ‘he may be fine,'” CNN’s congressional reporter said of Feinstein’s feelings about Wray. “She’s learned about the nomination a couple of hours ago so of course she needs to do her vetting and look through his qualifications but a positive signal from the top Democrat on the committee who will vet the nomination.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) had a similar response to the nomination, saying he needs to learn more about Wray but doesn’t have any particular qualms at this moment besides Trump’s timing.
“I don’t know that much about him, I hear he had a good reputation,” Warner said. “I think it’s more than a little curious that it appears that the president is trying to change the topic.”
Norm Eisen, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, went even further in his praise to call Wray a “good choice.”
.@maggieNYT wray is a good choice, lawyers sometimes rep controversial clients, that’s r job! as for staff recs, they r hardly gold standard https://t.co/0aphVPq7uV
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) June 7, 2017
MSNBC host Chris Hayes said the only thing that would discredit Gray’s “integrity” would be the fact that Trump nominated him.
The only thing that would make one suspicious of Wray’s integrity is the fact Trump chose him after (presumably) interviewing him.
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 7, 2017
Matthew Millar, a senior fellow at the Center for American progress had a similar take.
Wray probably the best choice from the WH short list. His record in the Bush DOJ deserves scrutiny, but he’s a serious, respectable pick.
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) June 7, 2017
As of yet, Trump’s nominee doesn’t seem to have ruffled any serious feathers.