FBI Director Wray Expresses Concern Over Potential Conflict of Interest in Selection of New FBI Headquarters Site

FBI's Wray criticizes senior GSA executive's decision to pick a new FBI headquarters site owned by the executive's former employer; Virginia politicians echo concerns and call for a reversal of GSA's decision.

FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concerns over conflicts of interest surrounding the selection of a new FBI headquarters located in Greenbelt, Maryland. The site is owned by the previous employer of a senior GSA executive who made the decision.
A panel of three initially concluded that Springfield, Virginia, was the best site for the FBI's new headquarters. However, the executive, a political appointee, overruled this unanimous decision, an occurrence Wray described as 'exceedingly rare.'
Virginia politicians, including Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine, supported Wray’s concerns, requested an investigation, and called for the General Services Administration's decision for the Greenbelt location to be overturned.
While these complaints were raised, the Biden administration, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, and other officials defended the decision, emphasizing that Greenbelt was the most cost-effective choice with convenient access to public transport.
The complaint about the process from FBI Director Wray does not object to the Greenbelt location itself but instead focuses on the process through which it was chosen and the involvement of an official in the decision-making process.