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Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

FieldValue
postDirector
bodythe Federal Bureau of Investigation
insigniaUS-FBI-ShadedSeal.svg
insigniasize120
insigniacaptionSeal of the FBI
flagFlag of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.svg
flagsize130
flagcaptionFlag of the FBI
imageKash Patel, official FBI portrait.jpg
incumbentKashyap Pramod Patel
incumbentsinceFebruary 21, 2025
actingno
departmentFederal Bureau of Investigation
reports_to
seatJ. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington, D.C.
appointerThe president
appointer_qualifiedwith Senate advice and consent
termlengthAt the pleasure of the president. (10 years by statute), renewable (only by the Senate)
firstStanley Finch
formationJuly 26, 1908
deputyDeputy Director
website

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a single 10-year term by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The FBI is an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), and thus the director reports to the attorney general of the United States.

The director briefed the president on any issues that arose from within the FBI until the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was enacted following the September 11 attacks. Since then, the director reports in an additional capacity to the director of national intelligence, as the FBI is also part of the United States Intelligence Community.

The incumbent FBI director is Kash Patel, who was sworn in on February 21, 2025.

Term of office

The FBI director is appointed by the president and, since 1972, subject to confirmation by the Senate. J. Edgar Hoover, appointed by President Calvin Coolidge to the predecessor office of Director of the Bureau of Investigation in 1924, was by far the longest-serving director, holding the position from its establishment under the current title in 1935 until his death in 1972. In 1976, in response to Hoover's lengthy tenure and during the Watergate era, by an amendment to the 1968 Omnibus Crime Control Act, Congress limited the term of future FBI directors to ten years, "an unusually long tenure that Congress established to insulate the director from political pressure." This rule was waived by the Senate for Robert Mueller on July 27, 2011, due to serious security concerns at that time. Since 1976, directors serve a ten-year term unless they resign, die, or are removed, but in practice, since Hoover, none have served a full ten years, except Mueller who served twelve years with the leave of Congress.

The director of the FBI can be removed from office by the president of the United States. After removal and until a replacement is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the deputy director automatically acts in the role. The appointment of the deputy director is not a presidential appointment and does not require Senate confirmation. The president can appoint an interim director pending Senate confirmation or nominate a permanent director.

Responsibilities

Along with the deputy director, the director ensures that cases and operations are handled correctly. The director also is in charge of staffing the leadership in any one of the FBI field offices with qualified agents.

Nominations

The President of the United States appoints the director of the FBI, with the Senate's advice and consent. The President's nominees are referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee arranges hearings, and thereafter votes on whether to advance the nomination to the consideration of the entire Senate.

ImageNameAnnouncedNominated byHearing date(s)Committee vote resultCommittee vote dateCloture vote resultCloture vote dateFloor vote resultFloor vote dateFurther Details
[[File:William S. Sessions.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"William S. SessionsRepublican Party (United States)}};"Ronald ReaganReported FavorablyN/AN/A90–0
[[File:Louisfreeh.jpeg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"Louis FreehDemocratic Party (United States)}};"Bill ClintonReported FavorablyN/AN/AConfirmed by voice vote
[[File:Director Robert S. Mueller- III.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"Robert MuellerRepublican Party (United States)}};"George W. Bush–
Jul 31, 2001Reported FavorablyN/AN/A98–0
[[File:James Comey official portrait (3x4 cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}} 60%, 40%);"James ComeyDemocratic Party (United States)}};"Barack ObamaReported FavorablyWithdrawn by unanimous consent93–1
[[File:Chris Wray official photo (3x4 cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"Christopher A. WrayRepublican Party (United States)}};"Donald Trump20–0N/AN/A92–5
[[File:Kash Patel, official FBI portrait (cropped 1).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"Kashyap Pramod PatelRepublican Party (United States)}};"Donald Trump12–1051–4751–49

Lists of officeholders

Bureau of Investigation chiefs and directors (1908–1935)

When the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) was established in 1908, its head was called Chief of the Bureau of Investigation. It was changed to the director of the Bureau of Investigation in the term of William J. Flynn (1919–1921) and to its current name when the BOI was renamed FBI in 1935.

The following persons served as chief of the Bureau of Investigation:

ImageNameStartEndDurationRefs.President(s)
No.
1[[File:Stanley Wellington Finch, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1909–1913)
2[[File:Bielaski.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1913–1921)
–[[File:William E. Allen.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Acting
3[[File:William J. Flynn (cropped).jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1921–1923)
4[[File:William J. Burns.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1923–1929)
5[[File:HooverJoven.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1929–1933)
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1933–1945)

Federal Bureau of Investigation directors (1935–present)

The FBI became an independent service within the Department of Justice in 1935. In the same year, its name was officially changed to the present-day Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with J. Edgar Hoover receiving the current title of Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since 1972, the United States Senate has had to confirm the nomination of a permanent officeholder. Frank Johnson had been nominated by Jimmy Carter in 1977, but withdrew for health reasons.

The following persons served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

No.ImageNameStartEndDurationRefs.President(s)
1[[File:Hoover-JEdgar-LOC.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1945–1953)
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1953–1961)
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1961–1963)
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1963–1969)
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1969–1974)
–[[File:Clyde Tolson.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
–[[File:Patrickgrey.jpeg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
–[[File:William Ruckelshaus.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
2[[File:Clarence M. Kelley.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1974–1977)
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1977–1981)
–[[File:Jbadams.jpg60px]]Democratic Party (United States)}};"
Acting
3[[File:Williamwebster.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1981–1989)
–[[File:Otto-lg.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
4[[File:William S. Sessions.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(1989–1993)
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(1993–2001)
–[[File:Clarke-lg.jpg60px]]Independent}};"
Acting
5[[File:Louisfreeh.jpeg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(2001–2009)
–[[File:Pickard-lg.jpg60px]]Democratic Party (United States)}};"
Acting
6[[File:Director Robert S. Mueller- III.jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(2009–2017)
7[[File:James Comey official portrait (cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}} 60%, 40%);"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
(2017–2021)
–[[File:Andrew McCabe official photo (cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
8[[File:Chris Wray official photo (3x4 cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Republican Party (United States)}};"
Democratic Party (United States)}};"
(2021–2025)
–[[File:Paul Abbate, official portrait (2018).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"
Acting
–[[File:Brian Driscoll (cropped).webp60px]]Independent}};"
Acting
9[[File:Kash Patel, official FBI portrait (cropped).jpg60px]]Republican Party (United States)}};"Incumbent

Timeline

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Define $today =

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DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1908 till:31/12/ TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1910 gridcolor:gray ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:2 start:1908

Legend = columns:3 left:120 top:100 columnwidth:240

TextData = pos:(20,100) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political parties:"

BarData = bar:Finch bar:Bielaski bar:Allen bar:Flynn bar:Burns bar:Hoover bar:Tolson bar:Gray bar:Ruckelshaus bar:Kelley bar:Adams bar:Webster bar:Otto bar:Sessions bar:Clarke bar:Freeh bar:Pickard bar:Mueller bar:Comey bar:McCabe bar:Wray bar:Abbate bar:Driscoll bar:Patel

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bar:Finch from: 22/07/1908 till: 30/04/1912 color:U text: "Stanley Finch" bar:Bielaski from: 30/04/1912 till: 10/02/1919 color:U text:"A. Bruce Bielaski" bar:Allen from: 10/02/1919 till: 30/06/1919 color:U text:"William E. Allen (Acting)" bar:Flynn from: 01/07/1919 till: 21/08/1921 color:U text:"William J. Flynn" bar:Burns from: 22/08/1921 till: 10/05/1924 color:U text:"William J. Burns" bar:Hoover from: 10/05/1924 till: 02/05/1972 color:U text:"J. Edgar Hoover" bar:Tolson from: 02/05/1972 till: 03/05/1972 color:R text:"Clyde Tolson (Acting)" bar:Gray from: 03/05/1972 till: 27/04/1973 color:R text:"L. Patrick Gray (Acting)" bar:Ruckelshaus from: 30/04/1973 till: 09/07/1973 color:R text:"Bill Ruckelshaus (Acting)" bar:Kelley from: 09/07/1973 till: 15/02/1978 color:R text:"Clarence M. Kelley" bar:Adams from: 15/02/1978 till: 23/02/1978 color:D text:"James B. Adams (Acting)" bar:Webster from: 23/02/1978 till: 25/05/1987 color:R text:"Bill Webster" bar:Otto from: 25/05/1987 till: 02/11/1987 color:R text:"John E. Otto (Acting)" bar:Sessions from: 02/11/1987 till: 19/07/1993 color:R text:"William S. Sessions" bar:Clarke from: 19/07/1993 till: 01/09/1993 color:U text:"Floyd I. Clarke (Acting)" bar:Freeh from: 01/09/1993 till: 25/06/2001 color:R text:"Louis Freeh" bar:Pickard from: 25/06/2001 till: 04/09/2001 color:D text:"Thomas J. Pickard (Acting)" bar:Mueller from: 04/09/2001 till: 04/09/2013 color:R text:"Robert Mueller" bar:Comey from: 04/09/2013 till: 07/07/2016 color:R from: 07/07/2016 till: 09/05/2017 color:U text:"James Comey" bar:McCabe from: 09/05/2017 till: 02/08/2017 color:R text:"Andrew McCabe (Acting)" bar:Wray from: 02/08/2017 till: 19/01/2025 color:R text:"Christopher A. Wray" bar:Abbate from: 19/01/2025 till: 20/01/2025 color:R text: "Paul Abbate (Acting)" bar:Driscoll from: 20/01/2025 till: 21/02/2025 color:R text: "Brian Driscoll (Acting)" bar:Patel from: 21/02/2025 till: $today color:R text:"Kash Patel"

Line of succession

The line of succession for the director of the FBI is as follows:

  1. Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  2. Associate Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  3. Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch
  4. Executive Assistant Director for Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services, Houston, TX
  5. Assistant Director of Counterterrorism Division
  6. Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Division
  7. Assistant Director, Washington Field Office
  8. Assistant Director, New York Field Office
  9. Assistant Director, Los Angeles Field Office

Dismissals

Since the office's inception, only two directors have been dismissed: William S. Sessions by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and James Comey by President Donald Trump in 2017.

William S. Sessions

Just before Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd president of the United States on January 20, 1993, allegations of ethical improprieties were made against Sessions. A report by outgoing Attorney General William P. Barr presented to the Justice Department that month by the Office of Professional Responsibility included criticisms that he had used an FBI plane to travel to visit his daughter on several occasions, and had a security system installed in his home at government expense. Janet Reno, the 78th Attorney General of the United States, announced that Sessions had exhibited "serious deficiencies in judgment."

Although Sessions denied that he had acted improperly, he was pressured to resign in early July, with some suggesting that President Clinton was giving Sessions the chance to step down in a dignified manner. Sessions refused, saying that he had done nothing wrong, and insisted on staying in office until his successor was confirmed. As a result, President Clinton dismissed Sessions on July 19, 1993, five and a half years into a ten-year term. Clinton's public explanation was that there had been a loss of confidence in Sessions' leadership, and then-Attorney General Reno recommended the dismissal.

Clinton nominated Louis Freeh to be FBI Director on July 20. Then-FBI deputy director Floyd I. Clarke, who Sessions suggested had led a coup to force his removal, served as acting director until September 1, 1993, when Freeh was sworn in.

James Comey

Main article: Dismissal of James Comey

On May 9, 2017, President Trump dismissed Comey after the recommendation of United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein's memorandum to Sessions objected to Comey's conduct in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. This was contradicted by multiple unnamed sources to news outlets, who said that Trump and high-level officials personally asked for Comey to be fired. Comey was fired after he asked for more money for the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Many members of Congress, mostly Democrats, expressed concern over the firing and argued that it would put the integrity of the investigation into jeopardy.

Comey's termination was immediately controversial, even being characterized as corrupt by news commentators. It was compared, by the aforementioned news outlets, to the Saturday Night Massacre, President Richard Nixon's termination of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who had been investigating the Watergate scandal, and to the firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates in January 2017.

In the dismissal letter Trump stated that Comey had asserted "on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation" which was later confirmed by Comey to the Senate while under oath. This is disputed by reporting from multiple news agencies with multiple sources. According to the reporting, Trump had been openly talking about firing Comey for at least a week before his dismissal. Trump and Democratic leaders had long questioned Comey's judgment. Moreover, Trump was angry that Comey would not support his claim that President Barack Obama had his campaign offices wiretapped, was frustrated when Comey revealed in Senate testimony the breadth of the counterintelligence investigation into Russia's effort to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election and that Comey was giving too much attention to the Russia probe and not to internal leaks within the government. On May 8, 2017, he gave Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein a directive to explain in writing a case against Comey. That directive was forwarded to Trump as a recommendation to dismiss Comey the following day, which Trump did.

Comey first learned of his termination from television news reports that flashed on screen while he was delivering a speech to agents at the Los Angeles Field Office. Sources said he was surprised and caught off guard by the termination. Comey immediately departed for Washington, D.C., and was forced to cancel his scheduled speech that night at an FBI recruitment event at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood.

In the absence of a Senate-confirmed FBI director, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe automatically became the acting director, serving until the confirmation of Christopher Wray.

Notes

References

References

  1. "Directors, Then and Now". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  2. "28 U.S. Code § 532 - Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". LII / Legal Information Institute.
  3. "FBI Director: Appointment and Tenure". [[Congressional Research Service]].
  4. (August 27, 2014). "Organization, Mission & Functions Manual: Attorney General, Deputy and Associate". US Department of Justice.
  5. "FBI Intelligence Reform Since September 11, 2001: Issues and Options for Congress". [[Federation of American Scientists]].
  6. (May 29, 2018). "FBI Director Nominations, 1973-2017". Congressional Research Service.
  7. Kutner, Max. (May 4, 2017). "Can President Donald Trump Fire FBI Director James Comey". [[Newsweek]].
  8. Chesney, Robert. (May 10, 2017). "Backgrounder: The Power to Appoint & Remove the FBI Director". [[Lawfare Blog]].
  9. (May 9, 2017). "F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump". [[The New York Times]].
  10. (July 27, 2011). "Senate Extends Term of F.B.I. Director". [[The New York Times]].
  11. Wilber, Del Quentin. (May 11, 2017). "Top Officials Being Interviewed for Interim FBI Director After James Comey's Ouster". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
  12. "Interim FBI director likely to be named as soon as Wednesday".
  13. (May 2025). "The FBI Director: Background on the Position". [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].
  14. "Previous Directors". FBI.
  15. "Stanley W. Finch, July 26, 1908 - April 30, 1912". FBI.
  16. "Alexander B. Bielaski, April 30, 1912 - February 10, 1919". FBI.
  17. "William E. Allen (Acting), February 10, 1919 - June 30, 1919". FBI.
  18. "William J. Flynn, July 1, 1919 - August 21, 1921". FBI.
  19. "William J. Burns, August 22, 1921 - June 14, 1924". FBI.
  20. "J. Edgar Hoover, May 10, 1924 - May 2, 1972". FBI.
  21. "Timeline of FBI History". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  22. Smith, J. Y.. (1999-07-25). "Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. Dies". Washington Post.
  23. "L. Patrick Gray (Acting), May 3, 1972 - April 27, 1973". FBI.
  24. "William D. Ruckelshaus (Acting), April 30, 1973 - July 9, 1973". FBI.
  25. "Clarence M. Kelley, July 9, 1973 - February 15, 1978". FBI.
  26. "James B. Adams (Acting), February 15, 1978 – February 23, 1978". FBI.
  27. "William H. Webster, February 23, 1978 - May 25, 1987". FBI.
  28. "John E. Otto (Acting), May 26, 1987 - November 2, 1987". FBI.
  29. "William S. Sessions, November 2, 1987 - July 19, 1993". FBI.
  30. "Floyd I. Clarke (Acting), July 19, 1993 - September 1, 1993". FBI.
  31. "Louis J. Freeh, September 1, 1993 - June 25, 2001". FBI.
  32. "Thomas J. Pickard (Acting), June 25, 2001 - September 4, 2001". FBI.
  33. "Robert S. Mueller, III, September 4, 2001- September 4, 2013". FBI.
  34. "James B. Comey, September 4, 2013 - May 9, 2017". FBI.
  35. "Andrew McCabe (Acting Director), May 9, 2017 - August 2, 2017". FBI.
  36. "Christopher Wray, August 2, 2017 - January 20, 2025". FBI.
  37. (August 2, 2017). "New FBI Director". FBI.
  38. Yousif, Nadine. (December 11, 2024). "FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign before Trump takes office". [[BBC]].
  39. Johnson, Carrie. (January 20, 2025). "The deputy FBI director is retiring today". [[NPR]].
  40. (January 20, 2025). "In Shake-Up, Trump Administration Jolts F.B.I. by Installing Acting Leader". [[The New York Times]].
  41. (February 25, 2025). "New FBI Director Kash Patel Takes Oath of Office". FBI.
  42. (February 14, 2007). "Designation of Officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". Federal Register.
  43. Johnston, David. (January 19, 1993). "F.B.I. Chief Plans to Fight for Job". [[The New York Times]].
  44. "How independent is the FBI's director? - National Constitution Center".
  45. Johnston, David (July 20, 1993) [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/20/us/defiant-fbi-chief-removed-from-job-by-the-president.html "Defiant FBI chief removed from job by the President"], ''The New York Times''.
  46. (May 10, 2017). "Trump Fires Comey Amid Russia Inquiry – Clinton Email Investigation Cited – Democrats Seek Special Counsel". [[The New York Times]].
  47. Smith, David. (May 9, 2017). "Donald Trump fires FBI director Comey over handling of Clinton investigation". [[The Guardian]].
  48. Sommer, Will. (May 9, 2017). "Sessions was told to find reasons to fire Comey: reports". [[The Hill (newspaper).
  49. Pramuk, Jacob. (May 9, 2017). "Justice Department was told to come up with reasons to fire Comey, reports say".
  50. (May 10, 2017). "Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for Money for Russia Investigation".
  51. "Comey firing: Reaction from members of Congress on FBI director's dismissal". [[The Washington Post]].
  52. Wilstein, Matt. (May 9, 2017). "CNN's Jeffrey Toobin Goes Off on Trump for Firing Comey: 'What Kind of Country Is This?'". [[The Daily Beast]].
  53. Abbruzzese, Jason. (May 9, 2017). "Everyone is comparing Donald Trump to Richard Nixon". The Silicon Times.
  54. (May 9, 2017). "FBI Director James Comey fired by President Trump". Fox59.
  55. (May 10, 2017). "'Enough Was Enough': How Festering Anger at Comey Ended in His Firing".
  56. "'He got tired of him'".
  57. "Inside Trump's anger and impatience – and his sudden decision to fire Comey". [[The Washington Post]].
  58. The Associated Press. (May 9, 2017). "The Latest: Comey Learned of Ouster as He Spoke at FBI in LA". [[The New York Times]].
  59. (May 9, 2017). "Comey was 'caught flat-footed' and learned of firing from TV while talking to FBI agents in L.A., source says". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  60. (May 9, 2017). "Trump fires Comey: McCabe takes over as FBI's acting director". [[Fox News]].
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