U.S. senators overwhelmingly confirmed Christopher Wray as the new director of the FBI Tuesday evening, installing Wray atop the prestigious law enforcement agency as it continues investigations into whether any of President Trump's associates coordinated with the Russian government during last year's election. The vote was 92-5.

Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Oregon's two Democratic U.S. senators, voted against Wray's confirmation. The only other senators voting "no" were Democratic Sens. Kristen Gillibrand of New York, and Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

In a statement, Wyden said he voted against Wray because of his stance on government surveillance and Americans' privacy.

"In his public and private statements, Chris Wray failed to oppose government backdoors into Americans' personal devices, or to acknowledge the facts about encryption," Wyden said. "That it isn't about liberty versus security, it's about more security versus less security."

Wray, a corporate lawyer in private practice since 2005, is designated to serve a 10-year term atop the FBI. Trump nominated him after he fired then-director James Comey in May.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman