FBI director officially announces McCabe replacement, other FBI appointments

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday formally announced that current Acting Deputy Director David Bowdich will take on the role full time.

Bowdich was expected to take the post permanently. He replaces former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was dismissed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions amidst some controversy last month.

A former SWAT team member and sniper, Bowdich led the FBI’s response to the 2014 shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed 14 people.

Paul Abbate, who had been running the branch that oversees the FBI’s criminal and cyber investigations, will replace Bowdich as associate deputy director, a role that handles budget and personnel matters for the bureau. {mosads}

David Resch, an assistant director of the training division at the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Va. will take over for Abbate.

Wray also announced Andrew Vale as executive assistant director of the human resources branch and Nancy McNamara as assistant director in charge of the Washington field office.

In other recent personnel changes at the bureau, Greg Brower, the FBI’s chief liaison with Capitol Hill, left the bureau earlier this month for a post at Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck.

McCabe was dismissed by Sessions in March after the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility found that the 20-year veteran made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and “lacked candor — including under oath — on multiple occasions.”

McCabe has disputed the charges and said that his dismissal was politically motivated.