Senate to vote Tuesday on new FBI director

The Senate will vote Tuesday on whether to confirm Christopher Wray to be the new FBI director, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced.

Up to four hours of debate on Wray's mostly non-controversial nomination will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET, McConnell said, with a confirmation vote to follow. Some of that debate time might not be used and the vote could come earlier.

Wray, who is now a private lawyer, was a top Department of Justice official during the George W. Bush administration. He was recommended unanimously by the judiciary committee on July 20.

If confirmed, he will succeed James Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump ostensibly for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices, though the President later said he had the Russia investigation on his mind when he axed Comey.

During his confirmation hearings, the Yale-trained lawyer pledged his independence, repeatedly telling a Senate panel he would not be "pulling punches" in the position and that he'd resign if he is asked to do something illegal or immoral.

"My commitment is to the rule of law, to the Constitution, to follow the facts wherever they may lead," Wray told the Senate judiciary committee. "And there isn't a person on this planet whose lobbying or influence could convince to just drop or abandon a properly predicated and meritorious investigation."