Grassley: Pulling Chipman Nomination Right Move for ATF, Nation

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today applauded the Biden Administration’s reported plan to finally withdraw the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

 

“Mr. Chipman’s long record as a partisan, anti-Second Amendment activist raised plenty of concerns about how he’d administer federal firearms laws. But that wasn’t the only cause for concern. The record he concealed from Congress, some of which remains hidden to this day, about how he treated his fellow employees while at the ATF confirms his lack of fitness to lead the agency. The employees of the ATF and the American people deserve an ATF director who carries out the mission of the agency with respect for the Constitution and for all agency employees,” Grassley said.

 

Grassley raised concerns about Chipman’s record at his confirmation hearing. After the hearing, the committee learned of multiple complaints against Chipman in his prior tenure at the ATF, prompting Grassley and others to seek an additional hearing and call on the agency watchdog to produce relevant records to the committee. Recent media reports also indicated that Chipman failed to disclose relevant events to the committee during the initial vetting process.

 

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