The White House on Thursday withdrew David Chipman’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms after resistance from Senate Democratic centrists imperiled his bid.
Chipman, currently an official at the gun control group Giffords, faced fierce opposition from all 50 Senate Republicans but also didn’t have the votes to be confirmed along party lines in the 50-50 Senate. Nonetheless, President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for the failure of the nomination even as he acknowledged that the White House knew the confirmation battle “wouldn’t be easy.”
“He would have been an exemplary Director of the ATF and would have redoubled its efforts to crack down on illegal firearms traffickers and help keep our communities safe from gun violence,” Biden said, praising Chipman for his work as an ATF agent as well as his advocacy on gun control. “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.”
www.politico.com/news/2021/09/09/white-house-withdraw-atf-nominee-510811
h/t Vapor Trails