
" The criminal conduct of former FBI agent Charles McGonigal does not represent the FBI ," FBI Director Christopher Wray told employees in an internal message summarized to ABC News.
In the message, which has not been released, Wray told FBI employees that McGonigal's alleged behavior does not represent the behavior of the bureau's rank and file.
"The way we maintain the trust and confidence of the American people is through our work showing, when all the facts come out, that we've stuck to the process and treated everyone equally, even when it's our own. ,” Wray said in the statement.
“The FBI will make every effort to investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates the law, including when the individual is an FBI employee. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and our focus will remain on our mission and doing the right thing, the right way, every time,” said Wray.
McGonigal pleaded not guilty in the New York case and is expected to do the same when he appears before a federal judge in Washington.
"The arrest of the former head of the FBI's New York field office on money laundering charges linked to a Russian oligarch with strong ties to President Putin is a serious development that may have compromised other counterintelligence existing FBI or national security investigations related to Russia or other topics," Javed Ali, former senior counterterrorism director at the National Security Council, told ABC News.