§ 532. Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

§ 532. Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Attorney General may appoint a Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(Added Pub. L. 89–554, § 4(c), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 616.)

Historical and Revision Notes

The section is supplied for convenience and clarification and is based on section 3 of Executive Order No. 6166 of June 10, 1933, which provided for the transfer of the functions of the Bureau of Investigation together with the investigative functions of the Bureau of Prohibition to a “Division of Investigation in the Department of Justice, at the head of which shall be a Director of Investigation”. The Division of Investigation was first designated as the “Federal Bureau of Investigation” by the Act of Mar. 22, 1935, ch. 39, title II, 49 Stat. 77, and has been so designated in statutes since that date. The title of “Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation” was recognized by statute in the Act of June 5, 1936, ch. 529, 49 Stat. 1484, and has been used in statutes since that date.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Notification of Material Changes to Policies or Procedures Governing Terrorist Watchlist and Transnational Organized Crime Watchlist

Pub. L. 119–60, div. F, title LXV, § 6522, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1631, provided that: “(a) Notification of Material Changes.—“(1) Notification required.—The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees notice of any material change to a policy or procedure relating to the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist, including any change to the policy or procedure for adding or removing a person from either watchlist. Each notification under this subsection shall include a summary of the material changes to such policy or procedure. “(2) Timing of notification.—Each notification required under paragraph (1) shall be submitted not later than 30 days after the date on which a material change described in paragraph (1) takes effect. “(b) Requests by Appropriate Committees.—Not later than 30 days after receiving a request from an appropriate congressional committee, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall submit to such committee all guidance in effect as of the date of the request that applies to or governs the use of the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist. “(c) Definitions.—In this section:“(1) Appropriate congressional committees.—The term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means—“(A) the congressional intelligence committees; “(B) the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives; “(C) the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and “(D) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives. “(2) Terrorist watchlist.—The term ‘terrorist watchlist’ means the Terrorist Screening Dataset or any successor or similar watchlist. “(3) Transnational organized crime watchlist.—The term ‘transnational organized crime watchlist’ means the watchlist maintained under the Transnational Organized Crime Actor Detection Program or any successor or similar watchlist.”

[For definition of “congressional intelligence committees” as used in section 6522 of Pub. L. 119–60, set out above, see section 6002 of Pub. L. 119–60, set out as a note under section 3003 of Title 50, War and National Defense.]

Review of Information Relating to Actions by Foreign Governments To Assist Persons Evading Justice

Pub. L. 119–60, div. F, title LXVII, § 6715, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1650, provided that: “Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 18, 2025], the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, complete a review for declassification of any information in the possession of the Federal Bureau of Investigation collected on or after January 1, 2020, relating to whether any foreign government official has assisted or facilitated any citizen or national of their country in departing the United States while the citizen or national was under investigation or awaiting trial or sentencing for a criminal offense committed in the United States to determine what information, if any, can be appropriately declassified and made available to the public. Upon completion of the review, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall make such information, if any, available to the public in a manner consistent with provisions of Federal law related to privacy.”

Limitation on Procurement by Federal Bureau of Investigation of People’s Republic of China Products and Services

Pub. L. 117–103, div. X, title IV, § 414, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 977, provided that: “(a) Security Assessment.—The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may not procure a People’s Republic of China product or service unless, before such procurement—“(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducts a security assessment of such product or service, including with respect to any physical, counterintelligence, or cyber vulnerabilities; “(2) there is included in the process of conducting such security assessment a formal mechanism through which input shall be submitted by the Counterintelligence Division and Cyber Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding such security assessment, including with respect to any such vulnerabilities; and “(3) the Director (or a designee of the Director) approves a recommendation, based on the results of such security assessment, to procure such product or service. “(b) Submission.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Director (or a designee of the Director, as applicable) approves a recommendation pursuant to subsection (a)(3), the Director shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the recommendation and a copy of the security assessment upon which the recommendation was based. “(c) Definitions.—In this section:“(1) Appropriate congressional committees.—The term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means—“(A) the congressional intelligence committees; and “(B) the Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate. “(2) People’s republic of china product or service.—The term ‘People’s Republic of China product or service’ means an information or communication technology product manufactured in China, Hong Kong, or Macau, or a product or service provided by an entity that is fully or partially owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of China.”

[For definition of “congressional intelligence committees” as used in section 414 of div. X of Pub. L. 117–103, set out above, see section 2 of div. X of Pub. L. 117–103, set out as a note under section 3003 of Title 50, War and National Defense.]

Counterintelligence Units at Non-Intelligence Community Federal Departments and Agencies

Pub. L. 117–103, div. X, title IV, § 415, Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 978, which related to the establishment of counterintelligence units at non-intelligence community Federal departments and agencies, was repealed by Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title III, § 7318(b), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1033.

Findings

Pub. L. 112–24, § 1, July 26, 2011, 125 Stat. 238, provided that: “Congress finds that— “(1) on May 12, 2011, the President requested that Congress extend the term of Robert S. Mueller III as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by 2 years, citing the critical need for continuity and stability at the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the face of ongoing threats to the United States and leadership transitions at the Federal agencies charged with protecting national security; “(2) in light of the May 1, 2011, successful operation against Osama bin Laden, the continuing threat to national security, and the approaching 10th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the President’s request for a limited, 1-time exception to the term limit of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in these exceptional circumstances, is appropriate; and “(3) this Act [amending provisions set out as a note under this section] is intended to provide a 1-time exception to the 10-year statutory limit on the term of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in light of the President’s request and existing exceptional circumstances, and is not intended to create a precedent.”

Improvement of Intelligence Capabilities; Directorate of Intelligence; Intelligence Career Service