The Trump administration has appointed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as the new acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), following the removal of FBI Director Kash Patel from the position. Details surrounding Patel’s removal remain unclear, as his image and title still appeared on the ATF’s website as of Wednesday. This change was reported by ‘The Hill,’ a prominent U.S. news outlet.
Driscoll will maintain his role as Army Secretary while taking on the acting director role for the ATF, which investigates federal crimes concerning firearms, explosives, and illegal merchandise trafficking. Patel’s appointment as acting director at the end of February had previously garnered criticism, with a group of 14 Democratic lawmakers urging Trump to dismiss him due to his lack of experience in crime prevention and response to mass atrocities.
The ATF’s former director, Steve Dettelbach, resigned in January, marking the first time the agency had a permanent head since 2015. Driscoll, confirmed as Army Secretary at the end of February, has military experience, including deployment in Iraq.
Notably, Trump’s administration has seen the dismissal of over nine military officials in recent months. Patel’s removal coincides with discussions within the Department of Justice regarding a potential cost-saving merger of the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration, raising questions about the implications.
