James "Jim" Rybicki is an American federal government official who formerly worked in the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

(DOJ) and

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI).

Biography

Rybicki has a law degree, and formerly worked as an officer in the

United States Capitol Police The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States an ...

before he began working at the DOJ in 2001. He worked in various departments at the DOJ, including the

National Security Division National Security Division, or Bahagian Keselamatan Negara (BKN), is a senior grouping within the Malaysian government which meets infrequently. According to a United States Embassy telegram leaked by WikiLeaks in 2011, BKN is regarded as Malaysia' ...

, the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, and the United States Attorney's Office for the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (in case citations, E.D. Va.) is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has jurisdiction over the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roa ...

Career at the FBI

Rybicki served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to then-director of the FBI James Comey when President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

fired Comey from this position in May 2017. He continued to serve as chief of staff to Comey's successor,

Christopher A. Wray Christopher Asher Wray (born December 17, 1966) is an American attorney who is the eighth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving since 2017. From 2003 to 2005, Wray served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Crimina ...

, until January 2018, when Wray replaced him with Zachary Harmon.

Role in Clinton email investigation

As Comey's chief of staff, Rybicki had been scrutinized by Congressional

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

over his role in the FBI's investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy. In October 2017, the FBI released an email he had sent to several other FBI officials in May 2016, in which he stated, "Please send me any comments on this statement so we may roll into a master doc for discussion with the Director at a future date." The release of this email shows that drafts of Comey's statement on the Clinton investigation has been prepared months before he had interviewed Clinton herself. Congressional Republicans sought for Rybicki to testify on the Clinton investigation for months, with some of them suggesting that his testimony might vindicate Trump's decision to fire Comey. These efforts culminated in Rybicki testifying before Congress on the investigation the week before he left the FBI. Soon after Rybicki's departure, speculation ensued as to whether he had been forced out due to pressure from Congressional Republicans. Despite this speculation, federal law enforcement officials said that Rybicki was not fired or forced out from his job at the FBI; instead, such officials told

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

that Rybicki's departure had already been planned for some time. Similarly, Wray said in a statement to

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

that Rybicki's departure from the FBI was voluntary, stating that "Jim Rybicki notified me last month that he will be leaving the FBI to accept an opportunity in the corporate sector."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rybicki, James Living people United States Department of Justice officials Chiefs of staff 21st-century American lawyers Year of birth missing (living people)