Trump had signaled his intent to fire the veteran official and replace him with firebrand Kash Patel

The FBI’s director, Christopher Wray, will step down from his post early next year, the bureau said on Wednesday, after Republican Donald Trump signaled his intent to fire the veteran official and replace him with firebrand Kash Patel.

Trump himself had appointed Wray, a fellow Republican, to his 10-year term in 2017, after firing his predecessor, James Comey, who the then-president soured on over the FBI’s investigations into alleged contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia.