Driscoll was tapped to lead the FBI pending the Senate confirmation of Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for director.
The move came hours after Paul Abbate, who served for the past four years as then-FBI director Christopher Wray’s deputy and had been in line to serve as acting director, told colleagues in an email that he was retiring.
In his email to senior executives, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Abbate said, “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.”
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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 to colleagues. “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.”
He said Robert Kissane, a top counterterrorism official in the New York office, would serve as acting deputy director.
As for Abbate, his FBI career spanned 28 years and included various leadership roles. He served as the head of the Detroit and Washington field offices and held the role of executive assistant director for the criminal, cyber, response, and services branch. In 2018, he was appointed deputy director, overseeing the FBI’s investigative activities.
In a farewell message, Abbate urged his colleagues to maintain the bureau’s integrity.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Senate Judiciary joint committee hearing on the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 30, 2024. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Wray, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, announced his retirement last month after serving as director for more than seven years. His decision followed Trump’s public declaration of his intention to nominate Patel as the new FBI director.
The Senate has not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing for Patel as of Tuesday.
The FBI did not return a request for comment from NTD by publication time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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