Trump names Brian Driscoll to serve as acting FBI director after sudden Abbate retirement
President Trump named Brian Driscoll to serve as acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday, marking one of his first moves on Inauguration Day.
According to the FBI website, Driscoll became a special agent in 2007. He has experience working in the agency's New York field office and also worked on the FBI's SWAT team.
The White House's announcement came shortly after FBI acting director Paul Abbate retired on Monday, reportedly just minutes before Trump took office. Christopher Wray stepped down from the agency on Sunday, and Abbate only held down the acting director post for a day.
"When the director asked me to stay on past my mandatory date for a brief time, I did so to help ensure continuity and the best transition for the F.B.I. Now, with new leadership inbound, after nearly four years in the deputy role, I am departing the F.B.I.," Abbate said in an email obtained by the New York Times on Monday. "I have complete confidence in you and in your ability as a team to continue to carry out our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution."
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Last week, then-FBI director Wray named Driscoll as the special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Newark, New Jersey. In a press release published on Jan. 14, the agency noted that Driscoll "most recently served as the commander of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and Critical Incident Response Group's (CIRG) Tactical Section chief."
"In March 2011, Mr. Driscoll was selected as an operator for FBI's HRT," the press release noted. "Ultimately, he became an HRT team leader, responsible for the planning and execution of tactical solutions in furtherance of FBI global operations."
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"He also collaborated with foreign law enforcement and military partners to conduct operations and training, strengthening FBI global partnerships."
Driscoll’s time as acting director will presumably end when Kashyap "Kash" Patel is confirmed as the FBI’s next director by the U.S. Senate. Patel was nominated by Trump in November, who called him an "America First fighter."
"Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump's statement read. "He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution."
Fox News' David Spunt and Pat Ward and Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.