Paul Abate, the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reportedly resigned minutes before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray announced on Dec. 11 that he would step down as director before President Trump took office, and Wray's resignation became effective Sunday.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Abate resigned from the station just one day after taking over from Mr. Wray.
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FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate prepares to testify at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 30, 2024 in Washington. (Michael A. McCoy, The Washington Post, via Getty Images)
His resignation took effect at noon Eastern Time on Monday, around the same time Trump was scheduled to take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol. It was not immediately clear who would replace Mr. Abate as acting FBI director.
“When the director asked me to stay on for a while past my duty date, I did so to ensure continuity and the best possible transition for the FBI. With new leadership in place, I served as his deputy for almost four years. This is what I'm doing right now.'' Abate left the FBI in an internal email on Monday, according to the New York Times. “I have full confidence in you and your team's ability to continue to carry out our mission to protect the American people and defend the Constitution.”
On January 16, 2025, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray greets Attorney General Merrick Garland at his funeral service at the Department of Justice. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Wray selected Abate to serve as FBI deputy director in 2021, extending his term. According to the New York Times, Abate's age of 57 is considered retirement age for some FBI agents.
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President Trump appointed Wray as director in 2017, but relations between the two have soured amid repeated federal investigations into the 45th and now 47th president. In August 2022, the FBI raided President Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump denounced the “weaponization” of the Justice Department during his 2024 presidential campaign and has since nominated Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel's Senate confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025, in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. (Saul Loeb/Pool, via Reuters)
“The scales of justice will be recalibrated,” President Trump said in his inaugural address. “This vicious, violent and unjust weaponization by the Department of Justice and the government will end.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.
