FBI headquarters feud intensifies after Wray raises 'conflict of interest' concern
by Ashley Oliver, Justice Department Reporter
November 12, 2023 06:00 AMA former federal government official who had outsize influence over the decision to move the FBI's headquarters to Maryland is drawing scrutiny after Director Christopher Wray said the official had a "potential conflict of interest" with the process.
Nina Albert, who worked as a top Biden-appointed official in the General Services Administration, had the final say over the selection of Greenbelt, Maryland, according to public documents about the selection process.
The GSA, which manages federal workspaces, was responsible for overseeing the process of relocating the FBI's headquarters from its current site at the J. Edgar Hoover Building, an aging brutalist low-rise in downtown Washington, D.C.
Wray revealed to his employees Thursday in a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner that he had concerns about the "fairness and transparency" of the process and Albert's role specifically.
Although he did not use her name, he made clear his concern was with her affiliation with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Albert was a vice president at the WMATA before she left in July 2021 to join the GSA.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/fbi-headquarters-feud-intensifies-wray-conflict-of-interest
