The White House is reportedly preparing to withdraw David Chipman, a highly controversial nominee, from consideration to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), The Washington Post reported on Thursday morning.
WAPO: White House to withdraw nomination of David Chipman to lead ATF
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) September 9, 2021
Chipman's nomination was followed with bipartisan opposition on account of his anti-second amendment stances. Via WaPo:
The White House is planning to withdraw David Chipman’s nomination to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives this week amid bipartisan pushback over his gun control advocacy, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
President Biden nominated Chipman, who worked at ATF for more than two decades before joining the gun control group led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), in April as part of a larger effort to curb gun violence.
The White House declined to comment. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the nominee.
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Chipman was grilled by Republican senators during his confirmation hearings, and could not give Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) the definition of an "assault weapon."
Senator @TomCottonAR: "What is an 'assault weapon?'"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 26, 2021
Chipman: "...any semi-automatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine above the caliber of .22, which would include the .223 which is largely the AR-15 round." pic.twitter.com/JFPAZliFLf
Chipman is the second nominee for a major post that the Biden administration has been forced to withdraw.
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