FBI's Wray seemingly deflects question on planting evidence, says he's 'concerned' over threats

Wray said he could not speak about the matter and referred the reporter to the FBI.

FBI Director Christopher Wray seemed to deflect a question about allegations that his agents planted evidence during the raid of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate but said he was "concerned" about threats to agents.

At the FBI's Omaha Field Office on Wednesday, a reporter asked Wray to address how Trump is raising the idea that agents planted evidence during their search of the Florida estate while the former president's supporters are issuing calls to arms.

"Well, as I'm sure you can appreciate, that's not something I can talk about, so I'd refer you to the department," Wray responded, directing the reporter to speak with the FBI about the allegations instead.

"As to the issue of threats, I will say that I'm always concerned about violence and threats of violence against law enforcement ... Any threats made against law enforcement, including the men and women of the FBI, as with any law enforcement agency, are deplorable and dangerous," he said.

Another journalist followed up by asking whether the raid could "embolden, maybe even incentivize some of the bad actors from January 6" to carry out a "similar" event.

"Again, violence against law enforcement is not the answer no matter what anybody's upset about or who they're upset with, and I think we have in this country had over the last few years an alarming rise in violence against law enforcement," Wray replied, citing the increasing number of officers who were killed in the line of duty last year.

Earlier in the day, Trump suggested that FBI agents could have planted evidence in his home.

"The FBI and others from the Federal Government would not let anyone, including my lawyers, be anywhere near the areas that were rummaged and otherwise looked at during the raid on Mar-a-Lago," Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social. "Everyone was asked to leave the premises, they wanted to be left alone, without any witnesses to see what they were doing, taking or, hopefully not, 'planting.' Why did they STRONGLY insist on having nobody watching them, everybody out? Obama and Clinton were never 'raided,' despite big disputes!"