I am leaving as FBI director. America’s future is secured by focusing on threats, not divisions

Serving as FBI Director for the past seven-plus years has given me unparalleled insight into the threats to our country. public safety and national security. From where I sit, these threats are more dangerous and complex than any time I can remember since I began my career in law enforcement almost 30 years ago.

Our adversaries—whether violent gangs, child predators, cartels, hackers, hostile nation states, or terrorists—are bolder, better resourced, more technologically savvy, and more ruthless than ever. With the push of a button, a foreign hacker can shut down a hospital or take our critical infrastructure offline. A would-be terrorist can communicate with planners abroad via encrypted software to secretly plan an attack on US soil. The cartels are able to produce many deadly drugs with a power that no one has seen before using chemicals obtained half a world away.

The terrorist threat overall high. Foreign terrorist organizations, inspired by the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, are planning coordinated attacks here at home, while violent extremists inspired by different ideologies and grievances are mobilizing faster than ever and leaving fewer points of contact for investigators. it’s time to combine them.

FBI DIRECTOR WRAY EXPLAINS WHY HE WAS USED DURING A PERIOD OF GREAT DANGER

The tragedy in New Orleans on New Year’s Day is the latest example of the threat posed by soft targets — individuals who are radicalized online using readily available weapons to go after people going about their daily lives — and that makes it difficult to detect, investigate, and disrupt terrorist threats.

Foreign enemies like China, Russia, and Iran aren’t just stealing state secrets, they’re directly targeting the American people and going after the things we trust most. Hostile nation-states are stealing Americans’ personal information on a staggering scale, stealing widely from businesses large and small, exporting their brand of repression to our shores, and engaging in audacious cyber operations targeting our critical infrastructure. The Chinese government, in particular, has made an unprecedented effort to siphon American innovation, steal our most valuable personal information, and interfere with our free and open society. History will mark this as the defining threat of our generation.

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Along with terrorism and nation-state threats, violent crime, which has reached alarming levels in recent years, continues to plague many communities. Cartels flood our country with fentanyl and other deadly drugs that take the lives of countless Americans every year. And child predators lurk in the dark recesses of the internet, targeting the innocent and vulnerable.

From where I sit, I see serious dangers to adults that require serious attention from adults. But over the past seven years, I’ve also seen something else: inspiring The men and women of the FBIwho fight these threats every day with passion, skill and a fierce commitment to public service and the rule of law. I have seen firsthand the work they do, along with a record number of our brothers and sisters in state and local law enforcement and across government, to keep our communities safe.

FBI DIRECTOR WRAY EXPLAINS WHY HE WAS USED IN HIGH DANGER DISTRICT

In recent years, the FBI and our partners have worked together to arrest nearly 50 violent criminals every day. They rescued hundreds of children from the hands of torturers and put hundreds of predators behind bars. They have busted hundreds of gangs terrorizing neighborhoods across the country and seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 80 percent of all Americans. They have innovated to deal with threats posed by cybercriminals and have saved victims around $800 million in ransom payments worldwide. They have been alert to the ever-present threat of terrorism, preventing attacks targeting houses of worship in Las Vegas, Long Beach and Pittsburgh. San FranciscoFourth of July parade in Cleveland and countless other communities across the country. I couldn’t be more proud of the work they do and the sacrifices they make to keep us all safe.

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Again, this is no time for complacency or distraction. Looking to the future, our security challenges will grow more alarming and our margin for error will continue to shrink. America’s enemies will try to use the disintegration of our country to strengthen their efforts against us. But our focus should be on the threats and our work rather than the things that divide us. We must continue to fight the threats facing our country with objectivity, seriousness and professionalism. This is what the American people expect and deserve.

I know the men and women of the FBI, along with our partners, will get through this. But I also know that our future security depends on it The FBI is at its best. The FBI needs resources to match what our adversaries throw at us and the public’s continued support for its core business. The stakes couldn’t be higher. We simply cannot afford to lose focus or be unprepared.

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