The Army secretary will be replacing FBI Director Kash Patel after he was removed as the acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
According to the Associated Press, three sources close to the matter told the outlet Wednesday that Army secretary Daniel Driscoll will lead the agency that enforces gun laws. An anonymous source also told the outlet that Patel has not been in that role since February after being sworn in as FBI Director.
However, an April 7 press release still listed Patel as the acting director, and further published a note to ATF staff on social media in March that said it was a “special message from the acting director.”
The AP further reported that ATF’s senior staff was notified of the change Wednesday, but pointed out Driscoll will stay in his role as secretary of the Army. However, U.S. troops are not permitted to participate in activities in law enforcement on American soil. Driscoll being the head of ATF — a domestic law enforcement agency — as well as remaining secretary of the Army, would conflict with this.
U.S. troops are, however, able to provide support and intelligence gathering to Custom and Border Protection to secure the southern border.
Driscoll, 38, is in charge of around 452,000 soldiers, including those deployed overseas, and is responsible for the Army budget worth more than $187 billion, major weapons, aircraft, and equipment programs.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said Patel was “briefly designated ATF Director while awaiting Senate confirmations — a standard, short-term move. Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and delivering outstanding results.”
There has been consideration given to merging the ATF and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into one agency, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stating in a memo that the plan would “achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.”
