WASHINGTON DC — President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday his candidate to be the next head of the FBI.
Christopher A. Wray is the former head of the Justice Department's criminal division who now works in private practice at the King & Spalding law firm.
According to Wray's biography on the King & Spalding website, he was a prosecutor in Atlanta, where, "he handled a wide variety of federal jury trials, grand jury investigations and appeals as lead counsel."
Former director James Comey was ousted in May. In a statement, Trump said Comey’s firing “will mark a new beginning” for the FBI.
Wray will require Senate confirmation.
Thomas O'Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), issued a statement today on Trump's pick for the next FBI director, saying the "FBIAA National Executive Board looks forward to meeting with Mr. Wray ... very soon."
"As the key stakeholder in this process, it is critically important that the FBIAA understands his views on the FBI, Special Agents, and the criminal and national security threats that Agents combat daily," O'Connor said in his statement.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement today hailing Trump's nomination of Wray, whom he called a "brilliant legal mind."
"Chris Wray is an extraordinary person, possessing all the gifts necessary to be a great Director of the FBI. I congratulate President Trump for choosing a leader of proven skill, independence, and integrity, a man in whom all Americans can have confidence," Sessions said in his statement. "The President asked us to look for an FBI Director who has integrity, who understands and is committed to the rule of law, and who is dedicated to protecting the American people from crime, gangs, and terrorists. We have found our man in Chris Wray."
However, Wray's nomination came as a surprise to many on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told ABC News that he first learned of Wray's nomination from the president's tweet this morning.
"I don't know [Wray], except when I had conversations with him 13 years ago," he told ABC News.
Grassley later said he believes Trump likely attempted to contact him about Wray's nomination before posting the move on Twitter.
"There wasn't any effort to avoid me," he said.
"The president told me a couple weeks ago that he was going to let us know ahead of time," Grassley told ABC News. "I believe that he probably tried to get a hold of me, but I wasn't available."
House Speaker Paul Ryan also appeared caught off-guard by Wray's nomination.
"Wray, right? I don't know the guy, but I've looked at his resume," Ryan told ABC News. "He seems like to me he's the perfect kind of person."
"I thought we should have a career person take over the FBI, someone with a deep bench of experience," Ryan added. "He certainly seems to fit that bill."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top democrat on the judiciary committee, said she needs to learn more about Wray.
"He may be fine," Feinstein told ABC News. "I haven't known about it for very long, like two hours."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the judiciary committee, said he was concerned about the "timing" of Wray's nomination, but was hopeful in his years of experience as an attorney.
"FBI nominee Wray has solid credentials -- now this job will require independence [and] guts to stand up to political interference," Blumenthal tweeted today. "Despite my concerns on Wray nomination timing, hopeful he will demonstrate the backbone to continue investigation -- essential for the role."