FBI director Chris Wray urges employees to 'keep calm and tackle hard' after Nunes memo's release
- FBI director Christopher Wray sent a letter to employees Friday urging them to "keep calm and tackle hard" after the release of a highly controversial memo that claims the bureau and the Department of Justice improperly surveilled a Trump campaign adviser.
- The so-called Nunes memo, which was authored by House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, has been hotly contested by lawmakers and intelligence officials.
- President Donald Trump and Republicans say the document promotes transparency and holds law enforcement accountable, while Democrats and top DOJ and FBI officials say it contains a host of inaccuracies and omissions that mischaracterize the intelligence community's work.
FBI director Christopher Wray advised employees at the bureau to "keep calm" and continue working following the release Friday of a highly controversial memo claiming that the FBI and the Department of Justice abused their surveillance authority to monitor a former adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign.
The memo was authored by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, who has been conducting an independent investigation into what he characterizes as bias and political corruption at the DOJ and FBI since last year.
The memo's release was hotly contested. While Republicans and Trump said its release would promote transparency and hold the government accountable, Democrats and intelligence and law enforcement heads strongly cautioned that the document contained significant inaccuracies and could compromise intelligence-gathering sources and methods.
Trump authorized the memo's declassification Friday morning. The committee released it to the public shortly after.
While Trump and his allies immediately pointed to the document as proof that the top ranks of the DOJ and FBI were tainted with political bias, Democrats said it was much ado about nothing and merely a list of Republican talking points meant to discredit the Russia probe.
Wray, who was one of several top officials to urge the president against signing off on the memo's release, said in his message to employees, "The American people read the papers, and they hear lots of talk on cable TV and social media. But they see and experience the actual work you do - keeping communities safe and our nation secure, often dealing with sensitive matters and making decisions under difficult circumstances. And that work will always matter more," he said.
"Talk is cheap," he added, and "the work you do is what will endure. We speak through our work. One case at a time. One intelligence product at a time. One decision at a time."
Wray's message came as Trump and his Republican allies in Congress and the media mount an increasingly intense campaign that critics say is aimed at discrediting the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller, and the agencies in charge of overseeing the investigation.
Following the Nunes memo's release on Friday, Wray told agents they must "stay laser-focused on doing great work, even when it's not easy, because we belive in the FBI. We believe in what it stands for and in what this institution means to people."
"And nothing is going to change that," he added. "We're going to keep doing that work, because we know who and what we are, and because we know that our mission comes first. The American people come first."
The FBI director has increasingly been at odds with Trump in recent weeks, whether it be over former deputy director Andrew McCabe's ouster or the Nunes memo. Sources told CNN on Thursday that White House aides were concerned Wray would submit his resignation if Trump authorized the memo's release, adding that the FBI director's stance was "raising hell" in the White House.
Meanwhile, Wray is said to be frustrated that Trump, who hand-picked him to lead the FBI after firing James Comey last May, has dismissed his advice as part of the DOJ's purportedly partisan campaign against the president and his allies.
CBS News also reported on Thursday that Wray was prepared to issue a public rebuttal of the Nunes memo if Trump did choose to declassify it.
The FBI director has not yet indicated that he will do so, but urged employees on Friday to "keep doing your great work and keep being the great people you are."
He added: "Remember: keep calm and tackle hard."
"Thank you for standing strong together, and for keeping your faith in this institution that means so much to all of us," he concluded.