Three U.S. officials confirmed to USA TODAY that U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has assumed the position of acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, one of many law enforcement organizations under the Justice Department’s jurisdiction.
Driscoll remains Army secretary and is now in charge of the ATF, according to two Defense sources. According to USA Today, a Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged that Driscoll had replaced Patel but would not provide an explanation for the personnel change.
Days after taking the oath of office as FBI director, Patel, a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump, was sworn in as the acting director of the ATF in late February. The news was first reported by Reuters.
When Patel will be let go from his job is unknown. Patel’s picture and title as interim director were still up on the ATF website as of Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Senior Justice Department officials are considering combining ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration in order to save money, which is why the leadership change occurred so quickly.
On February 25, Driscoll took the oath of office as the 26th Army Secretary after Trump was nominated and confirmed by the Senate.
According to his Army biography, Driscoll led a cavalry unit in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division that deployed to Baghdad in 2009 after receiving his commission as an armor commander in 2007.
Driscoll worked at the Veterans Legal Services Clinic and attended Yale Law School after leaving the active military. Despite having held executive positions in corporate operations, private equity, and investment banking, Driscoll’s bio makes no mention of any experience with federal law enforcement.
ATF, which has extensive authority to enforce laws and regulations pertaining to firearms, explosives, and tobacco products, will be led by Driscoll.
Patel’s leadership has been lagging behind the FBI.
The bureau has received a record number of applications for new agents in Patel’s first month in charge. Since 2016, the average monthly number of law enforcement job seekers has more than doubled.
According to Fox News Digital, 5,577 new FBI agent applications were submitted in March. 5,283 applications were received in April 2016, the last time that number was even close to that in a single month.
The average monthly number of applications in 2023 was 2,797, and the average monthly number in 2024 was 3,383, according to FBI data analyzed by Fox News Digital.
“Restoring trust in federal law enforcement and increasing the recruitment of new agents have been top priorities for Director Patel and Deputy Director (Dan) Bongino. According to FBI spokesman Ben Williamson, “these record early returns certainly suggest the new FBI is heading in the right direction,” he told Fox News on Wednesday.
The FBI has received over 10,000 applications for new agents since January, according to its records.
