Army Secretary Replaces FBI Director as Acting ATF Chief in Unexpected Move

FBI Director Kash Patel has been removed as the acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and replaced by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, The AP reports, citing multiple sources familiar with the situation.

The change was reportedly made at the end of February, just days after Patel assumed the role, but was not publicly announced until Wednesday.

The reason for Patel’s abrupt replacement remains unclear. While Patel remained identified as the acting director on the ATF’s website and in an April 7 press release, and even posted a message to ATF employees on social media in March, senior ATF leaders were only informed of the change on Wednesday.

Driscoll, 38, will retain his position as Secretary of the Army, a situation that raises questions about the already substantial workload of the Army’s top leader and potentially blurs the lines between military and domestic law enforcement. Traditionally, a strict separation has been maintained between the U.S. military and law enforcement activities.

A White House spokesperson, Harrison Fields, downplayed the situation, stating that Patel’s designation as ATF Director was a “brief” and “standard, short-term move” while awaiting Senate confirmations.

Driscoll, a former advisor to Vice President JD Vance, met Vance while attending Yale Law School. His background includes less than four years of service in the Army, leaving at the rank of first lieutenant. He also unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020.

The unusual arrangement of Patel leading both the FBI and ATF simultaneously raised eyebrows when it was announced in February. The recent changes come as the Justice Department is reportedly considering a plan to merge the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into a single agency.

According to a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the proposed merger aims to “achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.” While the ATF and DEA often collaborate, they currently operate with distinct missions under separate directors. The ATF focuses on violent crime, gun trafficking, arson, and bombings, while the DEA combats criminal drug networks and the flow of illicit drugs. The implications of the potential merger, and the recent leadership change at the ATF, remain to be seen.