FBI Director Christopher Wray is preparing for the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump will seek to replace him, according to people familiar with the subject, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 for 10 years and had intended to serve out his full term, a source said, but Trump has frequently criticized Wray over the years.
The president-elect also declared during his campaign that he wanted to clean house at an FBI he has said is filled with politically motivated and corrupt executives.
In July, Trump demanded that Wray resign "NOW' after he testified before Congress that Trump's ear injury from the attempt on his life that month might not have come from a bullet. The FBI later said in a statement that a bullet did indeed strike Trump's ear.
Wray told NBC News in April that he was "enjoying doing this job" and that "as long as I think I can do that in a way that adheres to all those rules and norms, I'd like to keep doing it."
But if Trump does want him gone, as is widely expected, Wray could resign, sources told NBC.
One person under consideration for Wray's job is Trump adviser Kash Patel, who is also being considered to lead the CIA, according to two other sources.
Patel is a former House and National Security Council staffer who worked for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
In addition, he was also a top Defense Department official in the last days of the first Trump administration. Patel is also a longtime critic of the Justice Department and the agencies he is under consideration to lead.