Kash Patel has been replaced by Army Secretary Driscoll as acting head
of the ATF, AP sources say
[April 10, 2025]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel has been removed as the acting
chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and has
been replaced with the Army secretary, three people familiar with the
matter said Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear why Patel was replaced by Army Secretary
Daniel Driscoll to lead the Justice Department agency that's responsible
for enforcing the nation's gun laws. One person familiar with the
matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel
move, said Patel was removed at the end of February, just days after he
was sworn in.
But that was never publicly announced. Patel on Wednesday afternoon
remained on the agency’s website and was identified as the acting
director in an April 7 press release. In March, he posted on social
media a note he sent to the ATF workforce that read “special message
from the acting director.” And 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.
Driscoll will remain secretary of the Army, according to a defense
official. This puts a defense leader — with an already large job — in
charge of a domestic law enforcement agency. U.S. defense officials have
historically tried to maintain a strict divide between military forces
and law enforcement. U.S. troops are not allowed to participate in law
enforcement activities on American soil. They do, however, provide
support and intelligence gathering to Custom and Border Protection to
help secure the southern border
As Army secretary, Driscoll, 38, heads the U.S. military’s largest
service, which has about 452,000 soldiers including thousands who are
deployed all over the world. He also oversees dozens of major weapons,
aircraft and equipment programs worth billions of dollars and is
responsible for an Army budget of more than $187 billion.
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Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said Patel was “briefly
designated ATF Director while awaiting Senate confirmations — a
standard, short-term move.”
“Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and
delivering outstanding results," Fields said.
Driscoll, of North Carolina, 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.
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.
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 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 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.
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