Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), David Chipman, on the floor of the Senate.
Cruz lit into Chipman over new allegations that he made racist comments about Black ATF agents and that he failed to disclose to the Senate that he’d appeared on a Chinese government propaganda station to disparage “gun violence” in America. Cruz and ten other Republican senators are now demanding there be a new hearing to grill Chipman over the new allegations, but the Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee isn’t complying because he supports Chipman, no matter how bad a nominee he is.
Watch: Sen. Ted Cruz highlights Biden ATF Director nominee David Chipman's record of alleged racist comments and his failure to disclose his appearance on Chinese State TV that was used as propaganda by China to cover up a mass stabbing of children. pic.twitter.com/rDl6UduzLu
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 5, 2021
“Apparently, Senate Democrats do not care if he made racist comments in his role in office as a supervisor. They do not care if he created a racially discriminatory and hostile environment by making racist comments.”
“Now, he may have a defense on this,” Cruz continued. “But if he does, we don’t know it because this committee can’t be bothered to have a hearing and ask him. So what this committee is saying is that allegations of racism, if you’re a partisan Democrat, no problem at all. Not even worth asking about.” [….]
“Did Mr. Chipman know that he was going on a communist propaganda show?” Cruz asked. “Did he know that it would be used as propaganda to tear down America? Did he know that it would be used as propaganda to cover up the atrocities in Communist China?”
“We don’t know. We don’t know because this committee hadn’t had the chance to answer them. And what the committee leadership is saying is they don’t care. Doesn’t matter. Truth doesn’t matter. We got a partisan agenda to do. Don’t bother us with actually doing our jobs.”
We already knew what a stinker of a nominee this guy is just in regards to his extremist views on guns; how he’s been a lobbyist for anti-gun groups. But he just added another level of scumminess with the latest allegations. Durbin doesn’t want another hearing because he knows that if he lets Cruz and the others question him, his answers could further sink him so Durbin is taking the coward’s approach.
Cruz and the GOP are doing a good job laying out all the facts on Chipman. Now, as we reported, there are Democrats who are not that thrilled with Chipman — who haven’t made up their mind yet about him. Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with the Democrats, has said that he doesn’t support Chipman. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) hasn’t made up his mind on Chipman. Given the split in the Senate, the Democrats would need everyone on board to get Chipman through and it’s not at all clear that they have the votes.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member