by Attorneys general from 19 states have signed on to a letter from Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen opposing the confirmation of David Chipman to be Director of BATFE.
They call the possible confirmation of Chipman an “an attack” on the Second Amendment and say their oath to uphold the Constitution makes it impossible for them to support someone like him.
They go on to write:
The ATF has an important role to play in upholding the public safety of
communities around the country. Its agents deserve a director who will inspire
confidence from the people they serve. Given Mr. Chipman’s history of anti-gun
lobbying and political activism, Americans cannot be reasonably expected to believe
he will be an unbiased enforcer of current laws. As chief law enforcement or legal
officers in our respective states, we are concerned that Mr. Chipman will make
Americans less safe by diverting ATF resources to attack the rights of law-abiding
gun owners instead of cracking down on violent criminals and criminal
organizations.
I think it is rare to see attorneys general take such a stand against a nominee for a law enforcement position like this. I think if the nominee were someone like a former DA or former US Attorney who, while still probably anti-gun, had not made a small fortune by shilling for the gun control industry you would not have seen this.
You can read the letter in its entirety below.
05.25.2021 State Attorneys General Letter to US Senate Leadership by jpr9954 on Scribd
“I think it is rare to see attorneys general take such a stand against a nominee”
Does that letter really deserve much analysis?
My question is, forget who is addressed at the top of the letter, who are these AGs really writing to? The first few paragraphs read like a fundraising letter from any No Compromise gun rights group.
By casual inspection, they all appear to be red state AGs. Did they really intend to accomplish anything for us, or was that just the first letter of their reelection campaigns? Not that I don’t appreciate and share their rote sentiments, but do experienced Republican AGs believe they’ll have any clout with a Democratic U.S. Senate, or, are they writing to you and me?
I doubt they are really concerned that much with Democrats other than Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema. I would note that the AGs of both WV and Arizona signed the letter.
If I were to guess the rationale behind the letter other than re-election, it is to make sure the Republicans stay united in opposition to Chipman.
No sugarcoating there…
.