Source: United States Senator for Vermont Patrick Leahy
I commend President Biden for nominating Steve Dettelbach to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Bureau is in urgent need of a permanent director, and Steve Dettelbach is the leader it needs.
I know Steve. I have worked with Steve. He has an extraordinary set of skills and experiences that will allow him to excel as the Director of the ATF. Steve spent seven years as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, a position to which he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He has proven in his 30-year career that he is a principled law enforcement official who knows how to tackle the toughest issues confronting the communities he is responsible for protecting.
The ATF is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing our nation’s gun laws, and it has had only one permanent director since 2006. As we continue to deal with high levels of gun violence across the country, it is critical that the ATF have the leadership it needs to counteract gun violence and the illegal use and trafficking of firearms.
I know from direct experience how qualified Steve is for this difficult assignment. He served on my Judiciary Committee staff as a detailee from the Department of Justice. In that capacity he provided me with invaluable counsel on a wide range of criminal justice and law enforcement issues.
I am confident that Steve will be an effective and fair-minded ATF Director who can offer the leadership that ATF needs and that our country deserves. I look forward to supporting his nomination in the Senate, and I will urge my fellow Senators to do the same.
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