FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 12, 2017, prior to testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Wray’s FBI nomination approved by Senate committee

Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, easily cleared a key Senate committee Thursday — even following an explosive Trump interview in The New York Times that prompted Democrats to raise renewed concerns of political interference with the Department of Justice.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 20-0 in favor of Wray, a former Justice Department official who has been in private practice for the past dozen years. His nomination now goes to the Senate floor, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he intends to have Wray confirmed before the August recess.


“He committed to doing the job by the book and without any regard to partisan political influence,” said California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. “He testified that his loyalty is to the Constitution and to the rule of law, not to any ideology or individual, including the president.”

But the Democrats' admiration for Wray didn't stop them Thursday from rebuking the man who nominated him, with one senator after another raising concern about comments Trump made to The New York Times.

In the interview, Trump said he never would have nominated Jeff Sessions — whom Wray will report to if confirmed — as attorney general had he known the former Alabama senator would recuse himself from the federal investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian officials.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the interview has "shaken me" and said the nation was "on the doorsteps of a constitutional crisis."

Trump's comments are "shocking and [raise] the specter of obstruction of justice," added Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). "We have a responsibility to ensure the FBI is protected."

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In the interview, Trump argued that the FBI director "really reports directly to the president of the United States, which is interesting" and stressed that "we're going to have a great new FBI director."

Still, few senators, Democratic or Republican, have questioned Wray's ability to be independent from Trump. The nominee testified that no one asked him for a loyalty oath and that if Trump asked him to commit an illegal act, he would resign from his post.

"Beyond credentials, I believe Mr. Wray has the right view of the job," said the committee's chairman, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "He said that his loyalty 'is to the Constitution and the rule of law.' He elaborated, 'They have been my guideposts throughout my career, and I will continue to adhere to them no matter the test.'"