Leftists were already apoplectic that Donald Trump managed to install firebrand Kash Patel as FBI director. Now, upping the ante, Trump is about to turn the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) over to Patel too, according to sources cited by multiple news outlets on Saturday evening. The extraordinary move has some wondering if Trump might move to dissolve the ATF altogether.
Gun Owners of America has lauded Patel as being “fiercely pro-gun.” However, during his confirmation hearings, Patel skirted direct questioning about whether civilians should be allowed to own machine guns, or whether background checks are constitutional, saying, “Whatever the courts rule in regards to the Second Amendment is what is protected by the Second Amendment.”
Watch:
Trump’s FBI Director pick, Kash Patel, is backed by a gun rights extremist group that opposes all forms of background checks on gun sales. The FBI runs the federal background check system.
Tell your senators to reject Kash Patel’s nomination: Text FBI to 644-33. pic.twitter.com/uflsECn0iA
— Everytown (@Everytown) January 30, 2025
The ATF is already the focus of a Trump II overhaul. Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ATF’s top lawyer, Pamela Hicks. “These people