Washington – FBI’s director, Kash Patel, was withdrawn from his role as an interim director of the alcohol, tobacco office, firearms and explosives and replaced by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, the United States officiated on Wednesday.
Reuters was the first to report leadership change, which the United States Department of Justice had not publicly revealed. Until Wednesday afternoon, the photo and the title of interim Patel director were still on the ATF website.
Patel swore as an interim leader of ATF on February 24, three days after having sworn as director of the FBI, a role he continues to celebrate. It was unusual for a person to be used to lead the main units of the Department of Justice at the same time.
A justice department official confirmed Patel’s removal and said he had nothing to do with his job performance. The official did not say why Patel was eliminated.
The Secretary of the United States Army, Daniel Driscoll, now serves as an interim director of ATF, said the official of the Department of Justice. Three other sources familiar with the decision said that Driscoll will continue to have both roles.
It is not clear when Pateel was formally eliminated from his position or when Driscoll was notified of his new responsibility. Driscoll was traveling on Wednesday and was in the Middle East earlier this week.
President Donald Trump’s second mandate has presented multiple reversions of Whipsesw policies, including layoffs and rehission of a large number of federal workers and on Wednesday the temporary decrease or rates in many countries, less than 24 hours later.
The senior officials of the Department of Justice are currently weighing whether to merge the ATF with the drug control of the United States as part of an effort to reduce costs.
Weapon rights approach
The Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has made the protection of weapons a key part of his agenda, has launched a working group to focus on enforcing the second amendment of the United States Constitution, which protects the right to support, Bears. Bears
She said that ATF would serve in the working group along with representatives from other parts of the Department of Justice, including the Civil Rights Division.
Trump previously ordered the department to review a series of firearms regulations implemented the administration of the Joe Biden Democratic President.
The ATF at the beginning of this week formally repealed its so -called “zero tolerance policy” that required revoking the licenses of the weapons dealers who committed serious violations, such as not making backgrounds.
Monday’s press release included a Patel appointment as an interim director.
It is not clear how the change of leadership in ATF could affect the way the firearms industry regulates, or why Driscoll was used to lead it.
The NSSF, the leading commercial association of the industry, in a statement on Wednesday said that the decision to appoint Driscoll was “indicative of its resolution to bring the reform to ATF and protect the second amendment of the respectful citizens of the law.”
Patel’s initial appointment as an interim director of ATF surprised career experts in the department.
When Patel swore as director of the FBI on February 21, he posed for a photograph with the White House terrorism advisor, Sebastian Gorka.
Gorka then published the photo in his account X with a eliminated message that said: “Oh, by the way, meet the new director of the ATF. Yes. Seriously.”
No one in the ATF knew about Trump’s plans to install Patel, five current and previous ATF officials were familiar with the matter at that time.
On the day of his oath, Patel spent an hour at the headquarters of ATF, where the personnel urged to focus on arresting the violent members of the gangs, two of those officials told Reuters.
He had no presence at the headquarters since then, according to four current and previous officials.
The leadership vacuum in the agency responsible for investigating firearms, bombs and fire -based crimes causes the current and former officials responsible for enforcing the law that say that their weakened state could protect the safe public and do what it does, it is what is what does tabticity is the tabeticity tabeticity that does it Tabeticity Tabeticity. Tabeticity investigates violent criminals that wield weapons.
“Seeing them in the situation in which they are now is really an anguish,” said Peter Forcelli, a former deputy director of the ATF who spent a large part of his career investigating gangs and other criminal organizations.
“The fact that they are kicking like a football ball is simply disrespect for me.”
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