Senate opposition leads White House to withdraw ATF nominee

By MIKE BALSAMO and ALEXANDRA JAFFE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House will withdraw the nomination of a gun-control advocate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after David Chipman ran into bipartisan opposition in the Senate. He won praise from advocates for his work pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, overhauling the background check system and moves to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms. But that same advocacy drew opposition from some moderate Republicans in the Senate as well as independent Angus King. That opposition doomed Chipman’s prospects for confirmation.