FBI Director Christopher Wray said he is as angry as he’s been in a “long, long time,” over the government shutdown in a video to employees posted on the bureau’s site Friday.

As the shutdown enters its fifth week, Mr. Wray called the situation “a mess.”

“Making some people stay home when they don’t want to, and making others show up without pay — it’s mind-boggling, it’s short-sighted and it’s unfair,” Wray said in the roughly five-minute video.

Mr. Wray said the bureau has been “actively advocating” for its employees, but noted “We are just not doing it in the press.”

“In this polarized environment, even seemingly straightforward statements can be hijacked by one side or the other,” he said.

“You know better than most that we’ve been thrust into the political spotlight more than we would have liked over the past few years,” Wray said. “And the last thing this organization needs now is its leadership to wade into the middle of a full-on political dispute.

About 35,000 agents, analysts and support staff are foregoing pay as President Trump and Congress spar over funding appropriations for a proposed border wall.

Earlier this week, the FBI Agents Association, which advocates on behalf of retired and active agents said the shutdown had impacted its investigations.

The FBIAA released a report detailing how investigations have been hampered because of lack of funds or workers because of the shutdown.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.