On Monday night, Ed Gonzalez signaled that he was withdrawing himself from consideration as President Joe Biden's nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Hill, in highlighting a series of tweets from Gonzalez announcing the decision, mentioned that the nominee has faced domestic violence allegations.
Gonzalez's tweets indicated he announced his decision to the president on Sunday, and that he had made the decision "after prayerfully considering what's best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as Sheriff."
1/5 On Sunday, I informed President Biden's administration that I am respectfully withdrawing from consideration for the post of Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
2/5 More than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
3/5 I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering what's best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as Sheriff.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
4/5 I am grateful to President Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nation's border. Frankly, the dysfunction threatens America's heart and soul.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
5/5 My love for America and my desire to serve during these contentious times is stronger than ever. Ensuring the safety and security of the people of Harris County is a great honor, and I am fully devoted to continuing to fulfill this responsibility.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2022
As a result of the allegations, which Gonzalez claimed were "false" and "all politics," Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on March 7 wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In it, he called for a delay of a vote on Gonzalez that was supposed to take place that week.
The next day, on March 8, Democrats withdrew the motion for a procedural vote on Gonzalez's nomination, which CNN noted at the time was "an unusual move."
Gonzales had first been nominated on April 28, 2021. He is one of multiple nominees to withdraw, as Neera Tanden also did in March of last year when she was being considered to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). David Chipman, who had been considered to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), was pulled from consideration by the White House last September.