UPDATE 3 - Trump to nominate Christopher Wray to lead FBI

ADDS WRAY STATEMENT FROM WHITE HOUSE

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he will nominate former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray to lead the FBI.

Wray is "a man of impeccable credentials" in announcing his decision on Twitter. He offered no additional information, but said more details would follow.

Wray's nomination will now head to the Senate. If confirmed, Wray will hold a 10-year term.

“It is a great honor to be selected by the President to return to the Department of Justice as Director of the FBI," Wray said in a statement from the White House.

"I look forward to serving the American people with integrity as the leader of what I know firsthand to be an extraordinary group of men and women who have dedicated their careers to protecting this country," he added.

Wray was nominated in 2003 to lead the Justice Department's criminal division by former President George W. Bush and held that position until 2005, according to the department's website.

Following his time at the department Wray resumed practicing law, and is currently a partner at international law firm King & Spalding.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised Trump's nominee as having "all the gifts necessary to be a great” leader of the agency.

"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," he said in a statement. "We have found our man in Chris Wray."

Trump's announcement comes one day before ousted FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to deliver his first public testimony since Trump abruptly fired him.

The White House has maintained that Trump took the action last month for a variety of reasons, including that Comey had lost the confidence of the bureau's rank and file - an assertion dismissed by the FBI's acting director.

The timing of Comey's dismissal -- as the FBI probes possible collusion between the Trump campaign and a Russian effort U.S. officials have said was aimed at tilting the outcome of last year's presidential race in Trump's favor -- has led many, including members of Trump's party, to question the action.

During his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey is expected to address reports Trump pressured him to drop an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and sought a pledge of loyalty from the FBI chief.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recently appointed a special prosecutor to head the investigation.

Rosenstein was able to make the appointment because Sessions recused himself from any investigation involving Russia and last year's poll amid media scrutiny over his contacts with Russian officials.

Trump reportedly continues to fume about the decision as reports emerge of a growing rift with his attorney general.

ABC News reported that tensions have mounted to a point where Sessions recently suggested he could resign.