Christopher Wray is facing a confirmation hearing this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he could be pressed on the myriad of conflicts of interest he has racked up as a corporate lawyer.
The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) released documents on Monday detailing prior clients of Trump’s pick to head the FBI.
According to an ethics agreement, Wray would recuse himself for one year from matters involving his employer, King & Spaulding, and entities under its representation.
The firm boasts clients from major companies including General Motors, General Electric, and GlaxoSmithKline—a UK-based pharmaceutical giant that has repeatedly been the subject of Justice Department investigations and actions.
Wray’s own clientele included Wall Street denizens like Wells Fargo, transnational oil corporations like Chevron, and the Koch-owned paper manufacturer Georgia-Pacific.
He also represented daily fantasy companies, FanDuel and DraftKings, which are currently under an FBI inquiry. And During the so-called Bridgegate scandal in New Jersey, Wray offered legal services to Governor Chris Christie.
Before joining up with King & Spaulding in 2005, Wray worked in the DOJ as a US Attorney in Georgia. He then moved up to join leadership posts at the department in Washington, under President George W. Bush.
His tenure at DOJ under Bush could also provide fodder for Senators looking to dig-in on Trump’s latest nominee. As independent journalist Marcy Wheeler noted, Wray’s name appears on several redacted emails about the post-9/11 torture program that were acquired by the ACLU.
Wheeler also pointed to interactions Wray had as an Assistant Attorney General with Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2003. The American Prospect reported that Wray was closely briefing Ashcroft about the Valerie Plame leak investigation, which implicated Karl Rove—a close friend and ally of Ashcroft’s.
Ashcroft would go on to recuse himself from the probe at the end of 2003.
Wray’s willingness to relay investigatory information to potentially conflicted individuals could be a thread yanked by Senators on Wednesday who want to know how Wray intends to handle the politically-sensitive investigation into alleged Russian election meddling and Trump campaign coordination.
Monday’s financial disclosures by OGE also revealed Wray’s numerous stock holdings. He owns investments of at least $1,000 in several dozen companies including Apple, Verizon, and Bank of America.
Wray’s confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday. He would replace FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by President Trump in May. The President later admitted in an interview with NBC that he was frustrated with Comey’s handling of the Russia probe.
