AGENCY
WASHINGTON, Apr 10
The Trump administration has silently replaced FBI director Kash Patel as the interim head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. As per reports, Indian-origin Patel has been replaced by US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll. Kash Patel was sworn in as the ATF chief on February 24, three days after he assumed the post of Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Patel assuming the role of ATF chief was unusual as one person is not given two Justice department roles to manage simultaneously. As per a Reuters report, while Kash Patel’s name and photo remain on the ATF website, the official has been removed.
Speaking to Reuters, a justice department official confirmed Patel’s removal, adding that the decision was not made due 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 news agency Reuters. No specific reason has been given for Patel’s removal. US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has replaced the Indian-origin FBI Director as the chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Driscoll currently heads the largest US military service, with 452,000 soldiers, including thousands of US soldiers deployed around the world. Driscoll also previously served as an advisor to Vice President JD Vance. The Army Secretary also unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Republican primary elections in North Carolina and received around 8% of the vote.
