Kash Patel Was Quietly Removed From His Role as the Active ATF Director

Donald Trump has placed a high value on loyalty during his second administration, and FBI Director Kash Patel might be one of the best examples of that. Patel's most defining public quality has been his fealty to Trump, and there's been plenty of speculation that that's why he wound up being nominated as the FBI director.

Recently, though, reports began circulating that suggested that Patel had been fired from his position inside the administration, and now, many want to know whether that's actually the case. Here's what we know about whether he was fired.

Patel is still the FBI director, but Reuters has reported that he was quietly relieved of his duties as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will replace him in that role. The change has not been announced publicly, and Patel's photo remains on the ATF website. Patel first assumed that role on Feb. 24, three days after he was confirmed as FBI director.

It's unusual for one person to take on two high-profile roles in the administration, and Reuters' reporting suggests that the administration insists that Patel's removal had nothing to do with his job performance. They did not, however, cite an alternate reason why he had been removed from the post.

We also don't know exactly when the change took place or when Driscoll became the bureau's new acting head.

Although he's been let go from his role as acting head of ATF, Patel is still very much in charge of the FBI, and there's been no indication from the administration that that's going to change.

"Director Kash Patel was briefly designated ATF Director while awaiting Senate confirmations — a standard, short-term move. Dozens of similar re-designations have occurred across the federal government," White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in an email.

"Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and delivering outstanding results," the statement continued.

The administration is reportedly looking into whether they can combine ATF with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which is part of their broader efforts to cut costs across the federal government.

In his two months as acting director of ATF, it's unclear how involved Patel was in the bureau's day-to-day operations. Although the administration is unlikely to ever state this plainly, it seems possible that making decisions for two major bureaucracies at the same time was more than Patel could handle, which is why they found someone else for ATF.

Of course, there's any number of reasons that Patel could have been relieved of that duty, and the administration insists it had nothing to do with his performance. For now, then, he has not lost the confidence of the president and will remain as FBI director. Control over one enormous federal law enforcement agency is probably enough responsibility for one person anyway.