US President Donald Trump will name newly confirmed FBI director Kash Patel as the representative of the Bureau of Alcohol, cigarettes, firearms and explosives.
Trump’s loyalist Patel will lead the ATF, which enforces US gun laws, running the FBI, the nation’s most prominent law enforcement agency, during an intensifying growth.
Democrats and two moderate Republicans forced against Patel’s nomination, and past calls for retaliation against Trump’s critics made him a good fit to lead the FBI, but this is a broader one. It wasn’t enough to overcome Republican support.
Supported by gun owners in the American lobby group to defend gun rights, Patel is expected to lead agency overhauls by moving focus from firearm regulations.
During the presidential election, Trump accused the ATF of holding gun owners of strong, and revoked the license on frivolous reasons.
On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondy suddenly fired Pamela Hicks, the ATF’s longtime lead lawyer, and had her escorts out of the building without explanation or warning.
Bondi later said in an interview with Fox News that he fired Hicks because “these people were targeting gun owners.”
Bondi had ordered the ATF to shift its focus to help the Justice Department target illegal immigrants and move away from the role of regulated weapons, cigarettes and alcohol.
Patel is one of the Trump administration officials who take on two roles.
These people were targeting gun owners.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also serves as the acting administrator for the United States International Development Agency.
