President Trump’s nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is being hailed Wednesday as the “first ever truly pro-Second Amendment” choice to lead the agency.
ATF Deputy Director Robert Cekada’s nomination to the top job at the bureau was quietly transmitted to Congress on Tuesday and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Cekada, a former NYPD detective, has been with the federal law enforcement agency in various roles since 2005 and has served as deputy director since April.
“In his role as Deputy Director, we have worked closely with Robert Cekada to ensure law-abiding gun owners have a seat at the table in shaping policy,” Knox Williams, president and executive director of the American Suppressor Association, said in a statement.
“If confirmed, he would be the first ever truly pro-Second Amendment nominee to head the agency,” Williams added. “By nominating an ATF Director who understands our community and respects our constitutional rights, President Trump and his administration are further underscoring their commitment to standing up for the Second Amendment and gun owners.
“We urge the Senate to confirm him without delay.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said it was “encouraged” by Trump’s nomination of Cekada.
“The men and women of ATF, and the firearm industry which they regulate, deserve a Senate-confirmed director to lead the bureau,” the pro-Second Amendment group said in a statement. “NSSF respects the experience, wisdom and confidence of Cekada’s colleagues to effectively lead the ATF.”
The bureau is currently headed by Acting Director Daniel Driscoll, who also serves as Secretary of the Army.
FBI Director Kash Patel similarly pulled double-duty, serving as acting director of ATF between late February and early April. Patel had replaced Biden administration holdover Marvin Richardson at the agency.
The Trump administration has sought to shake things up at the bureau responsible for regulating the gun industry and investigating illegal gun trafficking.
In July, the Trump administration proposed eliminating the ATF as a standalone agency and merging its functions with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who oversees the ATF, fired the ATF’s general counsel in February, accusing the agency’s top lawyer of “targeting gun owners.”
The ATF has also been accused of a sustained pattern of retaliation against whistleblowers within the agency.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), who introduced legislation last year to abolish ATF, told The Post he was not a fan of the Cekada nomination.
“Replacing one career ATF bureaucrat with another won’t fix a broken agency,” Burlison said. “That’s why my bill H.R. 221 would abolish the ATF, because Americans deserve their rights protected, not regulated away.”
The White House and ATF did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
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