The White House on Monday appointed veteran FBI agent Brian Driscoll as acting director of the bureau after deputy director Paul Abbate opted to step down from the position.
Abbate was expected to lead the agency temporarily after Christopher Wray retired after almost 3 decades of service.
Driscoll’s appointment comes as the FBI is gearing up for a period of transition ahead of Senate confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominee for director, Kash Patel.
Patel, a loyal Trump ally, has been a vocal critic of the FBI’s leadership, raising concerns among Democrats over his potential use of the bureau to target Trump’s adversaries.
Paul Abbate, who served as Wray’s deputy for nearly four years and was next in line to act as director, announced his retirement in an email to colleagues on Monday.
“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,” Abbate wrote in the mail, cited by news agency AP.
“Now, with new leadership inbound… I am departing the FBI today.”
Abbate’s retirement after a 28-year career at the FBI, was unexpected as he held prominent leadership roles, including heading the Detroit and Washington field offices and overseeing the criminal and cyber branches.
His departure adds to the upheaval within the agency as it braces for potential shifts under Patel’s leadership.
“As you move forward, continue to stay true to our core values, be there for our partners, and take care of those who serve alongside you. Thank you for your service,” Abbate wrote.
Driscoll, who was recently appointed by Wray as special agent in charge of the Newark field office, will step into the role of acting director. Before this, he led the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team.
In an email to staff, Driscoll expressed his commitment to maintaining stability during the transition. “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 wrote.
Driscoll also named Robert Kissane, a senior counterterrorism official in the New York office, as acting deputy director.
Wray, who served as FBI director for more than seven years after being appointed by Trump in his first term, officially stepped down on Sunday.