Trump ATF Director Nominee Faces Little Pushback in Confirmation Hearing

President Donald Trump’s decide to go the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) skilled easy crusing via his Senate examination this week.

Robert Cekada, the present deputy director of the ATF, sat for his affirmation listening to on Wednesday. He confronted questions from throughout the aisle however didn’t garner a variety of intense scrutiny. Actually, he even acquired bipartisan reward.

“Mr. Cekata, I’m really actually grateful you’re right here and actually relieved by your nomination,” New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker stated. “Your years of devoted service is one thing I’ve a variety of simply respect for and gratitude for.”

Cekata has loved widespread assist from legislation enforcement teams and the gun trade. He’s additionally confronted little opposition from gun teams on both aspect of the difficulty. His affirmation listening to signifies he’s prone to develop into simply the third Senate-confirmed ATF Director, and President Trump’s first.

The listening to, which additionally featured 4 judicial nominees, supplied restricted time for questioning. However the questions that did come have been principally cordial, and not one of the Senators who spoke to Cekada indicated they deliberate to vote in opposition to him.

That’s a fairly sharp departure from the final time President Trump nominated an ATF Director throughout his first time period, when his fellow Republicans in the end sank the nomination over considerations the nominee was anti-gun. It’s additionally totally different from President Joe Biden’s expertise together with his first ATF nominee, who Democrats sank over considerations about his file and work as a gun-control activist.

That doesn’t imply there have been no onerous questions for Cekada, although.

The largest sticking level amongst Democrats, together with Booker, appeared to be over experiences that the ATF has diverted brokers towards immigration enforcement. Cekada claimed that his company has solely devoted a small variety of brokers towards helping immigration enforcement, and solely because it pertains to armed legal aliens.

“ATF has by no means had greater than 75 to 100 brokers a day engaged on supporting ICE and HSI,” he stated. “ATF in these operations has been targeted on offenders that have been illegally armed with firearms.”

Additionally they took situation with the Trump Administration’s makes an attempt to defund and get rid of or merge ATF with different federal businesses.

“I simply need to emphasize once more my gratitude that you simply’re up for this place, however the significance of you sustaining your independence and never giving the gun trade or others who need to defund you any sway over the selections you make,” Booker stated.

Cekada stated he believes the ATF is vital to combating violent crime and didn’t need it eradicated. Actually, he stated the company has about 2,400 brokers and plans to rent one other 800.

Republicans have been extra targeted on how Cekada deliberate to steadiness the ATF’s mandate to implement federal gun legal guidelines with the protections provided by the Second Modification. He was additionally pressed on whether or not the ATF deliberate to roll again extra of the principles imposed below the Biden Administration, such because the pistol brace ban and growth of the engaged within the enterprise definition.

Cekada wouldn’t decide to particular motion on these guidelines, however he did say the ATF is reconsidering them. He additionally stated the company would focus totally on combating violent crime below his management.

“I can guarantee you with absolute certainty that ATF, to start with, below my watch as deputy director since April of final yr, has 1000 p.c been targeted on holding folks accountable who’ve dedicated violent crimes,” Cekada stated. “We’re not right here making an attempt to burden unnecessarily the American citizen, who has the whole proper to train their Second Modification proper to bear arms, and we won’t be doing that sooner or later if I’m so confirmed.”