Newly sworn-in FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to take the reins of another federal law enforcement agency as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mr. Patel could be sworn in for the post that is under the Justice Department’s purview as early as this week, a Department of Justice source told The Washington Times.
The ATF has already seen changes in the last few days. The ATF’s chief legal counsel confirmed on social media that she was fired Thursday by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Pamela Hicks posted on her LinkedIn page.
“These people were targeting gun owners. Not gonna happen under this administration,” Ms. Bondi said in a Fox News interview.
Ms. Hicks, who has served in the Justice Department for 23 years, was the ATF’s chief counsel during the Biden administration and served as deputy chief counsel for the ATF during President Trump’s first term.
Mr. Trump signed in early February an executive order to “halt existing policies designed to curtail the clear right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.”
The White House stated in that order that the ATF “was weaponized to end the livelihoods of law-abiding small business owners in an effort to limit Americans’ ability to acquire firearms.”
Republicans have long criticized the agency for infringing on lawful gun owners Second Amendment rights.
A pair of Republican lawmakers introduced legislation last month to abolish the ATF. Reps. Eric Burlison of Missouri and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, members of the Second Amendment Caucus, introduced the Abolish the ATF Act “to safeguard Americans’ Second Amendment rights and protect law-abiding gun owners from the relentless bureaucratic overreach of the ATF.”
“If this agency cannot uphold its duty to serve the people within the framework of the Constitution, it has no place in our government,” Mr. Burlison said.
Ms. Boebert said she cannot “imagine under any circumstance or administration where the ATF serves as an ally to the Second Amendment and law-abiding firearm owners across America.”
She said the “ATF should be abolished before they eventually abolish our Second Amendment.”
The ATF was previously led by Biden appointee Steven Dettelback, a former U.S. prosecutor who was its first permanent leader since 2015.
Previous administrations were unable to get a nominee confirmed by the Senate.
Mr. Dettelbach was grilled by GOP lawmakers for having no proficient knowledge on firearms, alcohol, explosives and tobacco, but during hearings they said he wrote and enforced gun control regulations.
Mr. Patel was confirmed as FBI director Thursday by the Senate in a 51-49 vote. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined all Democrats to vote against Mr. Patel’s nomination.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.