President-elect Donald Trump will replace officials in three positions that do not traditionally turn over during a presidential transition, including FBI director, IRS commissioner, and Voice of America director, The New York Times reported.
Trump selected former federal prosecutor Kash Patel to head the FBI, Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., to replace Danny Werfel as IRS commissioner, and Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor, to lead Voice of America.
Patel will replace Christopher Wray, who Trump appointed in 2017 and said last week he will step down as FBI director although by statute, FBI directors serve for 10 years. Werfel was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023 for a five-year term.
The moves are not traditional.
Fred Fielding, who was Ronald Reagan's first White House counsel and President George W. Bush's final one, told the Times he could not recall instances in which other officials with fixed terms by law were replaced when their president took office.
"I was involved in the Reagan transition and also Bush 43's, and I don't recall in either instance that that was a subject of any discussion," Fielding said.
When Trump took office in 2017, he allowed existing IRS commissioner John Koskinen to stay on until his tenure ended before appointing Charles P. Rettig as the replacement.
The president-elect also allowed James Comey to stay on as FBI director after Trump's inauguration, although Comey was fired by the then-president soon after.
But "voters elected [Trump] to enact his America First agenda to restore prosperity and security," says Alex Pfeiffer, a Trump transition spokesman.
"President Donald Trump won an Electoral College and popular vote mandate," Pfeiffer said. "President Trump is nominating top-notch individuals to fulfill his agenda and Make America Great Again."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.