{"id":120353,"date":"2025-01-11T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T10:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/?p=120353"},"modified":"2026-03-27T22:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:52:16","slug":"director-wrays-remarks-at-fbi-farewell-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/?p=120353","title":{"rendered":"Director Wray\u2019s Remarks at FBI Farewell Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

From – FBI<\/a><\/p>\n

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New York – Rashad \u00a0Alkhader – Free Yemen Eye – From News-FBB – DC<\/p>\n

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Remarks as prepared for delivery.<\/p>\n

Thanks, everybody. I\u2019m honored and moved to be joined by so many close friends and colleagues today, and I\u2019m deeply grateful for all of you.<\/p>\n

I want to start where everything does\u2014at home\u2014with a thank you that will never begin to cover all it should to my supremely patient wife, Helen; our kids, Caroline and Trip; and my mom and dad, who I\u2019m also grateful to have here this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Being here with all of you today, at the heart of this institution that I\u2019ve put my heart and soul into\u2026being surrounded by the people\u2014the patriots\u2014who have dedicated themselves and their careers to making our world a better place\u2026well, it\u2019s hard to find the words to express how touched and humbled I am by all of it.<\/p>\n

Before I go any further, I want to thank the folks joining us today as speakers: Merrick\u2026Avril\u2026Bill\u2026Tim\u2026Ken\u2026Joe\u2026Peter\u2026Drew\u2026Chuck\u2026Paul\u2026and Brian and Mike. I want to thank you and the scores of dedicated professionals each of you represents\u2014our colleagues in intelligence and law enforcement, here in the U.S. and abroad; the men and women of the Department of Justice; and my FBI family, past and present. You and your organizations are indispensable to the work we do together to keep people safe\u2014here at home and around the world. I\u2019m grateful for the personal relationships I\u2019ve developed with each of you and for the tremendous partnership and support you\u2019ve provided throughout our years working together. Please know you have my sincerest gratitude.<\/p>\n

I also want to thank our distinguished guests\u2014DAG Monaco; many of our partners, both here and abroad, who\u2019ve traveled many miles to be here; and particularly Judge Webster and his wife, Lynda\u2014for joining us this afternoon. Judge, if even a fraction of what\u2019s been said about me today is true, it\u2019s because I\u2019ve been able to stand on the shoulders of giants like you.<\/p>\n

I, of course, want to thank the Deputy for serving as our emcee today. Paul, I\u2019m grateful for your thoughtful advice, counsel, and leadership over the years. Two of the very best decisions I\u2019ve ever made were asking you and, before you, Dave Bowdich to serve alongside me as deputy directors. Thank you both for everything you\u2019ve done\u2014for me, for the Bureau, and for our country.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d also like to thank my team and everyone who worked so hard to organize this event\u2014and then reorganized it after the snowstorm interfered with our plans. Although I have a bit of a bone to pick with whoever it is within the U.S. government who controls the weather. Avril, is that you and Bill?<\/p>\n

And finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my FBI Family\u2014all of you who are here in person and all of you tuning in online from our offices across the country and around the world. Thank you for joining me today and, more importantly, every step along the way for these last seven and a half years.<\/p>\n

What Makes the FBI Successful Today<\/p>\n

When it comes to a role like this one, I\u2019m pretty confident nobody takes it on thinking it\u2019ll be easy. But President Teddy Roosevelt once said, \u201cFar and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here at the FBI, we certainly work hard, and without a doubt, our work is worth doing. In fact, the importance\u2014the criticality\u2014of our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution is one of the biggest reasons why I\u2019ve loved all my years with the Bureau so much. After all, who wouldn\u2019t want to be part of the organization people turn to when it matters most? Who parents call when their kids are in danger, who communities rely on to rid their neighborhoods of violent gangs and drugs, who businesses lean on to get compromised networks and operations back online, who our government counts on to safeguard our most sensitive secrets, and who the public depends on to protect us from terrorism.<\/p>\n

What we do here at the FBI is more than a job; it\u2019s a calling. And our work could not be more essential. Is it challenging? Absolutely. But I\u2019ve never once questioned the Bureau\u2019s ability to do it because, over my seven plus years as Director, I\u2019ve seen the FBI rely steadily on the values, the principles, and the strengths that have long sustained our organization. And they are what enable us to meet those challenges head on\u2014to keep calm and tackle hard.<\/p>\n

Our most important asset is our people\u2014all of you. You are what makes the FBI the extraordinary organization it is. For more than 116 years, the American people have seen you rise to the challenge, again and again, to keep our nation safe. And day after day after day, I\u2019m inspired by the caliber and the character of the men and women in the FBI\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n

People like the Hostage Rescue Team agent who, while serving a warrant in a terrorism case, exchanged gunfire with a barricaded subject and, despite not having any cover, managed to keep himself and his teammates safe from harm until the threat was neutralized. And then, while at a training exercise just a few months later\u2014we\u2019re talking about the same agent, now\u2014helped save the life of a civilian badly hurt in a skydiving accident.<\/p>\n

People like the Jackson agent who was working a violent crime investigation when he heard gunshots and saw an SUV speeding away. While the agent was detaining a passenger who\u2019d gotten out of the car, the driver stopped and fired dozens of rounds at them, including one that penetrated our agent\u2019s vest. Even though he\u2019d been shot in the back, he continued getting the passenger to safety and ultimately saved his life.<\/p>\n

Just another day on the job, right?<\/p>\n

And the new folks we\u2019re bringing onboard are just as inspiring. As you heard, I\u2019ve given the commencement address at every single one of the 39 new agent graduations we\u2019ve had in my seven and a half years. Which means I\u2019ve had the privilege of personally handing badges and credentials to over 5,700 new agents\u2014more than 40 percent of those on the job today. They\u2019re bringing new talent and resolve to a workforce already full of top-notch professionals. And together, I\u2019m confident they\u2019ll continue to find new ways to tackle the threats we\u2019re up against.<\/p>\n

But as I\u2019ve said many times before\u2014and as you heard from almost every one of our speakers this afternoon\u2014no single agency can go it alone. Keeping people safe is a team sport, and none of our successes would be possible without our partners.<\/p>\n

Every day, the Bureau\u2019s employees are working shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement in record numbers to keep our fellow citizens safe. They\u2019re seamlessly sharing intelligence with our partners in the Intelligence Community, across government, and around the world to stay ahead of threats. And they\u2019re working in new ways with the private sector to protect American ideas and intellectual property from our adversaries.<\/p>\n

Those partnerships have made a huge difference\u2014a real, tangible difference\u2014in people\u2019s lives. Together, in recent years, we\u2019ve arrested nearly 50 violent criminals per day\u2014every day.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve dismantled hundreds of gangs terrorizing neighborhoods all over the country.<\/p>\n

In just a couple years, we\u2019ve seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 80 percent of all Americans.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve saved victims around the world nearly 800 million dollars in ransomware payments.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve stopped hostile nation-states from stealing our state secrets, kidnapping and killing dissidents here, and helping themselves to valuable U.S. technology and innovation.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ve kept watch against the ever-present threat of terrorism, thwarting attacks targeting houses of worship in Las Vegas, Long Beach, and Pittsburgh; a crowded pier in San Francisco; a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland; and countless other communities across the nation.<\/p>\n

And when tragedy does strike\u2014as we saw in New Orleans earlier this month\u2014we\u2019re there, working with our partners to support the community and victims\u2019 families and to get to the bottom of what happened.<\/p>\n

Succeeding Against the Threats of Tomorrow<\/p>\n

Our mission is absolutely critical. And fulfilling it\u2014time and again\u2014means relying on our people and our partnerships. That is how we stay ahead of the threats and pursue justice throughout the communities we serve.<\/p>\n

But if my time as Director has taught me anything, it\u2019s that those threats are constantly growing more complex, more dynamic, and more severe\u2014and a whole lot of dangers that were once inconceivable are now an everyday reality.<\/p>\n

Today, would-be terrorists using encrypted communications can plot with collaborators overseas to secretly plan violent attacks right here on our soil. Cartels can acquire chemicals from half a world away to manufacture deadly drugs with a potency we\u2019ve never seen before. Violent gangs have evolved into what now more closely resemble sophisticated criminal organizations. And with a keystroke, foreign adversaries can shut down a 911 call center, compromise a pipeline, or\u2014as we\u2019ve seen most recently\u2014breach our telecommunications systems in an unprecedented act of cyber espionage.<\/p>\n

Across the threat landscape, we\u2019re seeing that our enemies are more emboldened, better resourced, savvier with technology, and more relentless than ever before.<\/p>\n

Now, I say all this not because any of you needs a threat briefing or because I think it\u2019s time for anybody to panic, but I do think it\u2019s important to be candid about the daunting threats that are out there.<\/p>\n

Having said that, my time as Director has proven to me that the Bureau is at its best when it\u2019s facing a challenge. And as the threats and obstacles have multiplied, so too have the capabilities and determination of the men and women of the FBI.<\/p>\n

So yes, it\u2019s a scary world out there, and we\u2019re up against some very serious threats and some very dangerous foes. And to meet what lies over the horizon, we\u2019ve got to keep innovating and finding new ways to impose the greatest consequences on our adversaries. We\u2019ve got to keep leveraging intelligence to maximize impact and stay ahead of the threat. And we\u2019ve got to double down on what we know works\u2014our people and our partnerships.<\/p>\n

Relying on Our Core Values<\/p>\n

But there is one more thing that is fundamental to the FBI\u2019s work and must never change, and that is how we go about this work.<\/p>\n

The men and women of the FBI must maintain an unwavering commitment to our core values and to justice. To sticking together as individuals committed to doing the right thing the right way, and as an organization committed to upholding the rule of law. No matter what\u2019s happening out there\u2014in here, we\u2019ve got to stay committed to doing our work the right way every time. With professionalism, with rigor, with integrity.<\/p>\n

That means following the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it or doesn\u2019t\u2014because trust me, if there\u2019s anything I\u2019ve learned in this job, it\u2019s that there\u2019s always someone who doesn\u2019t like it. It means conducting investigations without fear or favor. And it means not pursuing investigations when the predication is not there. That\u2019s what the rule of law is all about. We\u2019ve got to maintain our independence and objectivity, staying above partisanship and politics. Because that\u2019s what the American people expect, and I think that\u2019s what they deserve.<\/p>\n

It is an enormous responsibility that the FBI bears. And it\u2019s a burden that often comes without any recognition or appreciation for all those nights and weekends\u2026the time away from loved ones\u2026the blood, sweat, and tears you put into your work. And yet, every single day, I see you show up to work eager to serve and fiercely determined to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. And for that, our nation\u2014our world\u2014owes you a debt we can never repay.<\/p>\n

People ask me all the time how I\u2019ve managed to do this job day after day\u2014to see the worst of what our world has to offer, time and time again. And it\u2019s true\u2014a lot more often than I\u2019d like, I\u2019ve seen some of the darkest that humanity is capable of. But in this job, I\u2019ve also seen the very best side of humanity, too. Men and women who could do just about anything they wanted with their lives but who\u2019ve chosen to put service over self every day\u2026who are there for their colleagues and their communities when they\u2019re needed most, both on and off the job\u2026and who put their own lives on the back burner\u2014and on the line\u2014often for total strangers.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what I see in you, our FBI workforce.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/p>\n

When it comes to my gratitude for all of you, I could go on and on. But at some point soon, my badge is going to stop working on the doors, so I know it\u2019s time for me to wrap up. And I\u2019m starting to get that telling look from my family that I\u2019ve learned to recognize (and usually blow right past).<\/p>\n

I hope you\u2019ll forgive me, though, for wanting to linger here just a couple more minutes. You see, way back in 2017, I stood a few steps from here in our courtyard for my installation ceremony and the oath of office. And as I was formally welcomed into the FBI Family that day, I told you I wanted to make sure I really absorbed the significance of the moment.<\/p>\n

It was a reminder to myself to make sure to pause and drink it all in. I know just how difficult it can be to truly appreciate the best moments of your life when you\u2019re right smack in the middle of them. Because as I tell every graduating class of special agents and intelligence analysts, far too often, the most important moments\u2014your wedding day, the birth of a child, that moment you get your dream job\u2014those things can go by in kind of a blur.<\/p>\n

So, on that day seven plus years ago, I asked you to pause with me to savor\u2014to cherish\u2014that moment. And I encouraged you to do the same over the course of your days and your assignments as you continued along in your Bureau careers. And I hope you\u2019ve found time to do that. Because today, I can tell you that I\u2019ve appreciated\u2014I\u2019ve savored\u2014every one of those moments I\u2019ve spent with all of you.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s been more than the obvious victories\u2014the lives you\u2019ve saved, the cases you\u2019ve solved, the criminals you\u2019ve brought to justice. It\u2019s been all the moments in between, too. From the hundreds of times I\u2019ve met with case teams all over the country who\u2019ve passionately told me about the successes of their investigations\u2026to my calls and visits with employees in the hospital, at funerals, or experiencing unforeseen personal hardships\u2026to the cafeteria lunches I\u2019ve shared with trainees at the Academy\u2026and all those mornings I\u2019ve tagged along for a run with new agents who, as my wife likes to point out, politely refrained from leaving me in the dust\u2026and especially in the moments we’ve made dreams come true for kids who want nothing more than to be part of Team FBI.<\/p>\n

For the past seven and a half years, during these moments we\u2019ve shared in your work and in your lives, I have savored every single connection I\u2019ve had the honor of making with the extraordinary men and women of the FBI. Those are the moments that have stuck with me\u2014and they\u2019re the ones I\u2019ll keep close to my heart.<\/p>\n

So, I want to thank you, the men and women of the FBI\u2014those who served before me and alongside me, and those who will serve long after I\u2019m gone.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your relentlessly hard work\u2026for your unwavering dedication to our mission\u2026and for your unyielding commitment to the rule of law. Thank you for affording me the privilege of serving with you as we\u2019ve protected the American people and upheld the Constitution. And thank you for keeping up that work in all the years to come. Serving as your Director has been the honor of my lifetime.<\/p>\n

Be safe out there and take care of each other. I will always, always, be rooting for you.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From – FBI     New York – Rashad \u00a0Alkhader – Free Yemen Eye – From News-FBB – DC Remarks as prepared for delivery. Thanks, everybody. I\u2019m honored and moved to be joined by so many close friends and colleagues today, and I\u2019m deeply grateful for all of you. I want to start where everything …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":141352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120353"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141354,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120353\/revisions\/141354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/141352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fye-yemen.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}