Kash Patel reportedly removed as acting ATF director
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks at the Justice Dept.
FBI Director Kash Patel delivered remarks from the Justice Department building about restoring law and order in the United States. Patel's speech came before a rare visit to the DOJ by President Donald Trump.
FBI Director Kash Patel was removed as the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives just days after he was sworn in, according to The Associated Press.
Patel was named acting ATF director in an unusual arrangement in February just days after he was sworn in to lead the FBI, putting him in charge of two separate and sprawling Justice Department agencies.
Who replaced Kash Patel as ATF director?
What we know:
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll replaced Patel to lead the Justice Department agency that's responsible for enforcing the nation's gun laws. One person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Patel was removed at the end of February, just days after he was sworn in as acting director. But that was never publicly announced.
Daniel Driscoll, now secretary of the U.S. Army, speaks during a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Patel remains on the agency’s website and was identified as the acting director in an April 7 press release. Senior ATF leaders were only informed Wednesday of the change, according to another person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the move.
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What we don't know:
It was not immediately clear why.
Who is Daniel Driscoll?
The backstory:
Driscoll, 38, of North Carolina, is secretary of the Army. He had served as an adviser to Vice President JD Vance, whom he met when both were attending Yale Law School. He served in the Army for less than four years and left at the rank of first lieutenant.
He ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, getting about 8% of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.
Driscoll will remain secretary of the Army, according to a defense official.
Will ATF and DEA be combined?
Dig deeper:
Justice Department officials have been considering a plan to combine the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration into a single agency. The two agencies often work together, along with the FBI, but are both led by separate directors and are tasked with distinctly different missions.
The ATF investigates things like violent crime, gun trafficking, arson and bombings. It also provides technical expertise in tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations. The DEA, meanwhile, is in charge of enforcing the nation’s laws around drugs. Its agents are focused on combating criminal drug networks and stemming the illicit flow of fentanyl and other street drugs.
The plan is designed to "achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts," according to a recent memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.