There has been a change within the Trump Administration.
FBI Director Kash Patel was removed as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by President Trump’s administration and replaced with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill.
It is unclear when exactly Patel was removed as the acting head of the ATF. As of Wednesday, Patel’s photo and title were still posted on the agency’s website.
A defense official told The Hill that Driscoll is the acting ATF director and that he will remain the secretary of the Army.
Patel was named as the acting leader of the ATF, a domestic law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), in late February. He was sworn in shortly after taking the helm of the FBI.
Steve Dettelbach, the previous ATF director, resigned from the post in January. Dettelbach was the agency’s first permanent head since 2015.
Driscoll served in the Army for three and a half years. In 2009, he was deployed to Iraq. Driscroll attended Yale Law School, where he met Vice President Vance.
The changes come after a group of 14 Democrats called on Trump to remove Patel as the ATF’s acting director in a letter last month.
In their letter, the lawmakers who are members of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, said it is” unconscionable that someone without experience fighting crime, responding to mass shootings or confronting domestic terrorism has been named as ATF’s Acting Director.”
When reached for comment, Second Amendment founder Alan Gottlieb said, “President Trump’s decision to appoint Acting Director Driscoll is indicative of his resolve to protect Second Amendment rights and bring much needed reform to the ATF.”
Gun Owners of America (GOA) today issued a statement thanking Kash Patel for his steadfast leadership and service during his tenure as Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During his time in office, Patel played a pivotal role in restoring constitutional integrity to the agency — including abolishing the Biden-era Zero Tolerance Policy, which had targeted lawful gun dealers over minor paperwork errors.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement:
“We’re incredibly grateful to Kash Patel for standing up for the Constitution and restoring accountability at the ATF. His decision to end the Zero Tolerance Policy was a long-overdue course correction, and we thank him for defending the rights of law-abiding gun owners and dealers. GOA will continue to be vigilant as new leadership steps in.”
Tim Macy, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement:
“Kash Patel’s leadership proved that principled reform is possible. On behalf of millions of Second Amendment supporters nationwide, we thank him for his courage and clarity. Gun Owners of America looks forward to engaging with the new Director and continuing our work to ensure the rights of gun owners are protected against regulatory overreach.”
