WASHINGTON >> The confirmation hearing for Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s choice for FBI director, will be held July 12.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, announced today that his panel will hold the hearing next week for Wray, a white-collar defense lawyer with a strong law enforcement background.

If confirmed by the Senate, Wray would replace James Comey. Trump fired Comey on May 9, touching off an outcry.

Wray was a high-ranking official in George W. Bush’s Justice Department and later represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Bridgegate scandal.

Wray rose to head the Justice Department’s criminal division in the Bush administration and oversaw investigations into corporate fraud. He took charge of a task force of prosecutors and FBI agents created to investigate the Enron scandal.