US ATF deputy director resigns under pressure following Patel removal

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By Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The second-ranking official at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has resigned after being given the option to leave or be removed, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

Marvin Richardson, a 35-year ATF veteran, resigned late on Wednesday as deputy director of the agency, which is tasked with investigating firearm, bomb and arson-related crimes. Reuters reported on Wednesday that FBI Director Kash Patel had been removed by President Donald Trump’s administration as acting ATF director and replaced by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.

Richardson had served as ATF deputy director since 2019, and was its acting director from June 2021 through April 2022.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

Richardson could not be immediately reached for comment.

Marvin’s departure could exacerbate a leadership vacuum at the agency. Senior Justice Department officials are considering whether to merge the ATF with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as part of an effort to cut costs.

Patel’s abrupt removal as acting ATF director came as a shock to ATF employees. U.S. officials have not explained the reason for the change, though a Justice Department official told Reuters on Wednesday it was not related to Patel’s job performance.

U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who is traveling outside of the United States this week, will continue to hold both roles.

Trump’s second term has featured whipsaw policy reversals, including the firing and rehiring of large numbers of federal workers and on Wednesday the temporary lowering of tariffs on many countries, less than 24 hours after steep new taxes on imports kicked in.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has made protecting gun rights a key part of her agenda, has launched a task force to focus on enforcing the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to bear arms, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

Before Patel was made acting ATF director on February 24, Bondi fired the bureau’s former chief counsel, multiple sources told Reuters at the time.

Bondi later appeared on Fox News, where she said without providing evidence that she had fired the ATF lawyer because people at the bureau were “targeting gun owners.”

The Justice Department has since installed Robert Leider, a law professor at George Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and specializes in Second Amendment issues.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and Will Dunham)