Indian Origin Kash Patel ousted as acting ATF Chief, replaced by Army secretary Daniel Driscoll
FBI Director Kash Patel has been quietly removed as acting director of the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and replaced by US Army secretary Daniel Driscoll, in a leadership shuffle that was not publicly disclosed by the justice department.
Patel, who was controversially holding two top posts in the Justice Department, both FBI director and acting ATF chief, was sworn in to lead the ATF on February 24, just three days after assuming leadership at the FBI.
However, his time at ATF appears to have ended in late February, though his name and photo remained on the agency’s website as of Wednesday afternoon and were still featured in an official ATF press release dated April 7.
A justice department official confirmed Patel’s removal but insisted it was not related to job performance. “Director Patel was briefly designated ATF Director while awaiting Senate confirmations, a standard, short-term move,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and delivering outstanding results”, Fields added.
The decision to install Army secretary Daniel Driscoll as acting ATF director caught many off guard. Driscoll, who remains in his current military post, now oversees the ATF while also managing a $187 billion Army budget and more than 450,000 soldiers around the world.
Driscoll, 38, previously served as an adviser to Vice President JD Vance and ran unsuccessfully in a North Carolina congressional primary in 2020. His appointment came without public announcement, and even senior ATF leaders were informed only this week.
Patel’s sudden appointment in February as ATF chief shocked career employees. When he arrived at ATF headquarters, he urged staff to focus on targeting violent gang members but has rarely been seen since, current and former officials were cited.
The abrupt leadership changes have fueled concerns about instability within the agency, which plays a key role in investigating gun crimes, arson, bombings and regulating the firearms industry.
“To see them in the situation they’re in now is just really heartbreaking,” said Peter Forcelli, a former ATF assistant director was quoted by Reuters. “The fact they’re getting kicked around like a soccer ball is to me just incredibly disrespectful”, Forcelli added.
The leadership reshuffle comes amid broader discussions inside the justice department about potentially merging the ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration to cut costs and consolidate enforcement resources, a move that could reshape federal firearms and narcotics investigations nationwide.
Meanwhile, attorney general Pam Bondi has launched a new task force focused on enforcing the Second Amendment, which will include the ATF and Civil Rights Division.
Bondi and US President Donald Trump have moved to roll back gun regulations implemented during the Biden administration. Earlier this week, the ATF repealed its “zero tolerance” policy on revoking licenses of gun dealers who commit serious violations, a shift that had been previously championed by Patel in a press release.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the leading gun industry trade group, praised Driscoll’s appointment on Wednesday, saying it “signals a resolve to bring reform to ATF and protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens”.
