WASHINGTON — The White House plans to withdraw David Chipman as the nominee to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
The decision comes after concerns were raised moderate Democrats, including Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, Jon Tester, of Montana, and Angus King, of Maine, an independent who joins the Democrats to caucus. He also faced unanimous opposition from Republicans over his past record on gun control.
Chipman was voted out of committee in a tie vote on June 24 but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not brought him up on the Senate floor to be officially discharged from committee because he lacked support.
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President Joe Biden nominated Chipman, who spent more than two decades with the ATF before he went to work with Giffords, a group that advocates for stricter gun laws, which is named for its founder, Gabby Giffords, a former lawmaker who was shot at a constituent event.
The ATF has not had a Senate confirmed director since 2013 and again has had acting directors since 2015.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
