Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray has said that he will resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Wray announced at an internal meeting at the FBI headquarters in Washington DC on Wednesday that he has decided to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down.

Wray said, "In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau into the fray." He went on to say that what "must not change is our commitment to doing the right thing in the right way every time."

Wray's 10-year term was set to end in 2027 under a law, but he will step down in the middle of his tenure.

Wray was appointed in 2017 by Trump during his first term as president. However, Trump started criticizing Wray following a FBI raid of his home in Florida in August 2022, on suspicion that he had unlawfully kept classified government documents after his retirement.

In response to Wray's announcement, Trump said on social media, "The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America. We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans."

Trump has already nominated Kash Patel, his loyalist, to lead the FBI. Patel has called for a dramatic overhaul of the FBI, suggesting that the bureau's headquarters should be closed down.