By a vote of 92-5, the Senate voted this afternoon to confirm Trump pick Christopher Wray to be the nation's new director of the FBI. Wray replaces James Comey, who was fired by Trump over the department's investigations into Russian election hacking and potential ties to Trump's presidential campaign.
Despite being elevated into the position by a president who, we repeat, fired Wray's immediate predecessor over his department's investigation of Trump's own campaign and administration, the vote to confirm Wray was overwhelming; Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Kirsten Gillbrand were the only no votes; senators Burr, Franken and McCain were not present. Wray's nomination was previously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a unanimous vote.
Wray, a former senior Justice Department official known for his low-key demeanor, pledged to lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he would never pledge loyalty to the president and that if Trump ever pressured him to drop an investigation, he would push back or resign.
But Wray was notably cagey during his confirmation hearings on whether Donald Trump Jr. should have taken the meeting with government-linked Russians premised on delivering dirt about Hillary Clinton as "part" of the Putin government's "support" for the Trump campaign.
The investigation, placed under the direction of a special counsel after the Comey firing, continues.