A veteran of the bureau, Mr. Abbate has served as deputy director since early 2021 and took the helm from Christopher A. Wray as the agency faces an uncertain future.

Paul Abbate, the deputy director of the FBI who took over temporarily as acting director after the resignation of Christopher Wray, retired from his post on Monday, an FBI official said. It was not immediately clear who will be taking over as acting director of the bureau until President-elect Donald Trump's FBI director nominee Kash Patel can be confirmed by the U.

Brian Driscoll, who has worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2007, has been named the acting director of the agency. The news came after Paul Abbate retired.

Paul Abbate, who as the FBI's longtime deputy director had been expected to replace Director Christopher Wray on an acting basis, is retiring from the bureau, according to an email he sent to senior executives and obtained by The Associated Press on Monday.

The FBI’s acting director told senior leadership he was retiring Monday, as the bureau braces for a major shakeup under the Trump administration. Paul Abbate had earlier been expected to serve in the role for a few months after Christopher Wray’s departure.