Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr threatened to quit if former President Donald Trump fired FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to a report.
A person briefed on the matter told Business Insider that in the spring of 2020, Barr threatened to resign.
The news outlet reports:
“The person said Barr went to the White House for a meeting and was introduced to Bill Evanina, a top counterintelligence official in the Trump administration who had previously worked at the FBI. When Barr realized Evanina was being suggested as a replacement for Wray, he left the room.
When told of the plotting, Barr threatened to resign in protest, according to the person briefed on the deliberations.”
The person told the Business Insider that the meeting was “the closest Wray, who has held onto his position under the Biden administration, ever came to getting fired during Trump’s tenure,” as the news outlet reported.
Previously, Trump came close to firing Wray. He was “strongly” advised to not fire Wray by White House lawyers, a senior administration official previously said, according to NBC News.
Former FBI Director James Comey was fired by Trump in May of 2017. Wray then became the FBI director and still holds that position.