It's official. President Joe Biden confirmed Thursday afternoon the nomination of longtime gun control activist David Chipman to become the next director of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be pulled from consideration.
"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," Biden released in a statement. "We knew this wouldn't be easy – there's only been one Senate-confirmed ATF Director in the Bureau's history – but I have spent my entire career working to combat the scourge of gun violence, and I remain deeply committed to that work."
But it wasn't simply Republicans who sank Chipman's nomination. Democrats like Senators Joe Manchin and Jon Tester and Independent Senator Angus King opposed him for the position and a lack of votes from them made Chipman's failure inevitable.
President Joe Biden’s pick to head the ATF is running into a surprising holdout who could bring down the nomination: Sen. Angus King of Maine.
The low-key independent, a member of the Democratic Caucus, has declined to publicly state his position on David Chipman, whom Biden nominated to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. But he has signaled to both the Biden administration and his Democratic colleagues that he is currently not supportive of the nominee, as he comes under pressure to buck a pick seen as resistant to gun rights in a state where hunting and gun rights are part of many voters’ DNA.