Axios is reporting that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, CIA Director Gina Haspel and FBI Director Christopher Wray will all be fired by President Trump after Election Day.
Axios originally reported that the changes would be made only if Trump wins reelection. But former senior White House advisor, Steve Bannon, who remains in close contact with the Trump White House says at least one of the changes will come regardless of the next Tuesday’s outcome.
“It doesn’t matter whether Trump wins or loses…[Chris Wray] is gonna be fired…Chris Ray is not gonna be the head of the FBI and Chris Ray can write that down,” Bannon said on his news program yesterday morning.
Wray and Haspel are both distrusted by Trump’s inner circle. They would have been removed from their respective positions already if not for the political headaches of acting before Election Day.
Haspel has been identified as the primary roadblock to the declassification of incriminating materials on the origins of the Russia investigation in the U.S. government.
Similarly, Trump is furious with Wray for not being more aggressive in the prosecution of the investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation and Trump’s 2016 campaign.
The President’s dissatisfaction with Esper stems from his refusal to send active-duty military into the streets of Washington D.C. to deal with protests that had turned violent over the summer. Esper then distanced himself from the clearing of Lafayette Square for Mr. Trump’s walk to St. John’s church.