In a move that surprised nearly everyone — including some inside the agency — Kash Patel is officially out as acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). And the kicker? It actually happened back in February, just three days after he took the job.
Welcome to Washington under President Trump 2.0, where even the people in charge don’t always know who’s in charge.
Patel, who still holds the title of FBI Director, was also sworn in as acting ATF chief on February 24. It raised eyebrows at the time, as it’s highly unusual — even by D.C. standards — for one person to lead two of the most powerful law enforcement arms of the federal government at once. And it turns out, he didn’t do it for long.
FBI Director Kash Patel was removed as acting ATF director, US officials confirm https://t.co/9hJekoCgJO pic.twitter.com/yN6ymjtBfj
— New York Post (@nypost) April 9, 2025
https://twitter.com/2A_Freedom/status/1910040730606903747
According to a Wednesday report from Reuters, Patel was replaced quietly by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll — another man now pulling double duty, as he’ll remain at the Pentagon while overseeing the ATF. That’s a pretty hefty workload for a guy whose current job is already massive.
But the weirdest part? No one told the public. Patel’s name and title were still listed on the ATF website weeks after his removal. He was even included in an April 7 press release as acting director. He himself was still sending out messages to ATF staff as if he were still in charge. Senior agency leaders were only informed this week that Driscoll had taken over.
The Justice Department insists this had nothing to do with Patel’s performance — but offered no explanation for the sudden switch. That hasn’t stopped speculation. Some reports suggest the move could be tied to broader Trump administration efforts to cut costs and even merge the ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which would be a major shakeup of federal law enforcement structure.
Meanwhile, Patel remains FBI Director — a post he’s held since February — and no one seems to know why he was yanked from ATF so quickly or why it was kept quiet for nearly two months.
In Trump’s Washington, expect the unexpected. Today’s director might be tomorrow’s “former” — and you might not even find out until April.
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