In Addition to Serving as FBI Director, Kash Patel Will Also Serve as Acting Head of ATF...

Kash_Patel_Senate_Confirmation_Hearing_FBI_Director_01-30-2025

by Alanna Durkin Richer

New FBI Director Kash Patel was sworn in Monday as acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, taking the helm of two separate and sprawling Justice Department agencies, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Patel was sworn in at ATF headquarters just days after he became director of the FBI, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

It’s not immediately clear if President Donald Trump intends to nominate Patel for the ATF post, or what the administration’s plans are for the agency that has long been the target of Republicans. Justice Department and White House officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patel will now oversee the bureau of roughly 5,500 employees that’s responsible for enforcing the nation’s laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it’s in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations.

Democrats raised alarm at Patel’s nomination for FBI director over his lack of…