U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday as a leader who served the U.S. ‘honorably and with integrity’ for two decades in the hours after Wray announced his plans to step down at the end of Biden’s presidency.

In a statement Wednesday, Garland lauded Wray’s multi-decade career as a civil servant and U.S. prosecutor, including as U.S. assistant attorney general and the head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. 

‘Chris Wray has served our country honorably and with integrity for decades, including for seven years as the Director of the FBI under presidents of both parties,’ Garland wrote Wednesday. 

‘In a heightened threat environment, Director Wray has worked tirelessly to protect the American people and to lead an agency of 38,000 dedicated public servants, many of whom put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities,’ Garland wrote, praising his role in working to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission ‘to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.’

‘He has led the FBI’s efforts to aggressively confront the broad range of threats facing our country — from nation-state adversaries and foreign and domestic terrorism to violent crime, cybercrime, and financial crime,’ Garland said. ‘There are few leadership positions more central to keeping the American people safe than the Director of the FBI.’

The statement came shortly after Wray announced his plans to resign at Wednesday’s FBI town hall in Washington, D.C., which was attended by thousands of FBI employees virtually and in person. President-elect Donald Trump announced shortly after his election victory last month his nomination of Kash Patel to succeed Wray, giving Wray the option to either exit on his own or be fired after Trump takes office.

Patel told Fox News on Wednesday that he’s seeking a ‘smooth transition’ to replace Wray.

‘After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,’ Wray told employees during the town hall. ‘My goal is to keep the focus on our mission, the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.’

In his statement, Garland emphasized the role the FBI director plays in protecting the agency’s independence from what he described as ‘inappropriate influence in its criminal investigations. … That independence is central to preserving the rule of law and to protecting the freedoms we as Americans hold dear.’

‘Director Wray has done that job with integrity and skill,’ Garland wrote Wednesday. ‘He has my gratitude, the gratitude of the FBI agents and employees whose respect and admiration he has earned, and the gratitude of the American people.’