FBI Director Kash Patel was removed as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by President Trump’s administration and replaced with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill.
It is unclear when exactly Patel was removed as the acting head of the ATF. As of Wednesday, Patel’s photo and title are still posted on the agency’s website.
A defense official told The Hill that Driscoll is the acting ATF director and that he will remain the secretary of the Army.
Patel was named as the acting leader of the ATF, a domestic law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), in late February. He was sworn in shortly after taking the helm of the FBI.
The FBI declined to comment.
The ATF, which is housed under the DOJ’s umbrella, investigates and seeks to prevent federal offenses involving explosives, firearms and arson as well as the illegal trafficking of tobacco and alcohol.
Last month, a group of 14 Democrats called on Trump to remove Patel as the ATF’s acting director in a letter dated March 4. The lawmakers, members of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, said it is” unconscionable that someone without experience fighting crime, responding to mass shootings or confronting domestic terrorism has been named as ATF’s Acting Director.”
The Senate confirmed Patel as the FBI director on Feb. 20.
Steve Dettelbach, the previous ATF director, resigned from the post in January. Dettelbach was the agency’s first permanent head since 2015.
Driscoll, who was tapped by Trump to lead the Army in December last year, was confirmed as the secretary in late February.
Driscoll served in the Army for three and a half years. In 2009, he was deployed to Iraq. Driscroll attended Yale Law School, where he met Vice President Vance.
– Rebecca Beitsch contributed to the report.
Updated at 10:10 p.m. EDT
