WASHINGTON, DC – The White House has confirmed that David Chipman, Joe Biden’s nomination for the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has been withdrawn [1].
In a statement released Thursday on the matter, Biden accused Republicans of blocking the nomination because he said they are using gun crime as a “political talking point instead of taking serious steps to address it.”
Chipman even struggled to gain the support of Democrats, due to his long history of being anti-Second Amendment.
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley praised the nomination withdrawal, saying, “Mr. Chipman’s long record as a partisan, anti-Second Amendment activist raised plenty of concerns about how he’d administer federal firearms laws. But that wasn’t the only cause for concern.
“The record he concealed from Congress, some of which remains hidden to this day, about how he treated his fellow employees while at the ATF confirms his lack of fitness to lead the agency.”
We defeated this anti-2A gun grabber and we'll defeat all of Biden's attempts to restrict our Second Amendment rights!
Report: Joe Biden to Withdraw David Chipman Nominationhttps://t.co/ndlfh5MLKG [2]
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 9, 2021 [3]
Biden condemned the lack of support for Chipman. “David Chipman spent 25 years in distinguished service to our country as an ATF agent,” he said ins his statement on Thursday. “Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress have made clear that they intend to use gun crime as a political talking point instead of taking serious steps to address it.
“That’s why they’ve moved in lockstep to block David Chipman’s confirmation, and it’s why they side with gun manufacturers over the overwhelming majority of the American people in opposing commonsense measures like universal background checks.”
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the withdrawal, despite his usual support of Biden nominees. “Glad to hear reports the White House is taking my advice and pulling the terrible nomination of David Chipman,” he said on Twitter. “Absurd that a vocal opponent of Americans’ constitutional rights was ever picked to run ATF. This is a win for the Second Amendment and law-abiding American citizens.”
Although Biden and many Democrats are verbally assaulting Republicans over the matter, the fact remains that at least one of the Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee members also opposed the nomination, leading to the withdrawal.
No other candidate has been nominated at this time.
This piece was written by Leah Anaya on September 9, 2021. It originally appeared in ThinBlueLineTV.com [4] and is used by permission.