President Donald Trump’s inauguration has already led to a major shakeup in the leadership at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Fox News reported that the major leadership changes at the FBI started when former FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed under Trump’s first administration, recently announced that he would be stepping down from his position prior to Trump’s inauguration. The outlet noted that the leadership changes continued on Monday as Acting FBI Director Paul Abbate announced he was stepping down from his position just prior to the start of Trump’s presidency.
In an email obtained by The Associated Press, Abbate wrote, “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 FBI. Now, with new leadership inbound, after nearly four years in the deputy role, I am departing the FBI today.”
Following Abbate’s sudden departure from the FBI, Brian Driscoll, the White House announced that Brian Driscoll would serve as acting director of the agency as the Trump administration waits for Kash Patel to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as FBI director.
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“We will work closely with the current FBI leadership team and the transition team at the Department of Justice to serve as a bridge between the FBI’s previous permanent leadership team and the next one,” Driscoll wrote in an email obtained by The Associated Press. “In the meantime, our goal is to keep the focus on the Bureau’s essential work, those we do the work with, and those we do the work for — the American people.”
Addressing Abbate’s departure, former FBI agent Nicole Parker told Fox News, “He had to have known that his days were likely very much numbered. It’s been widely publicized and well known that Paul Abbate was involved in pushing the raid at Mar-a-Lago. Also, he was very involved in pushing the Jan. 6 misdemeanor cases that were worked rigorously at the FBI.”
In light of the “Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives” memorandum Trump signed on Monday, Parker claimed that the days of federal workers being “untouchable” are now “over.”
“If you’re not doing your job, you really should be removed,” Parker told Fox News. “I do believe that there will be people who may not be on board with Trump’s plans, and they’ll choose to walk away on their own.”
The Associated Press also reported that sources indicated that Bruce Swartz, the former head of the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, was reassigned along with as many as 20 other DOJ staff members as part of the Trump administration’s shakeup of the FBI and the DOJ.
