Wray previously served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Criminal Division from 2003 to 2005.

Trump on Wednesday nominated lawyer and former Justice Department official Christopher Wray as the new FBI director.

Mr. Wray, a litigation attorney with law firm King & Spalding in Washington and Atlanta, previously served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Criminal Division from 2003 to 2005.

"I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow," Trump wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Senate must approve Trump's choice to replace former FBI Director James Comey, whom the president fired last month amid the agency's ongoing probe into alleged Russian meddling into the U.S. election.

Mr. Trump's announcement comes the day before Mr. Comey is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Moscow's alleged interference and any potential ties to Mr.Trump's campaign or associates.

The President had met with candidates for the FBI director post, including Mr. Wray, according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Mr. Wray currently works for King & Spalding's Washington and Atlanta offices where he handles various white-collar criminal and regulatory enforcement cases, according to the firm.

He served as assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division from 2003 to 2005, working on corporate fraud scandals and cases involving U.S. financial markets, according to his biography on the law firm's website.

Many lawmakers have said Trump should pick a career law enforcement professional.