A failed candidate for Ohio attorney general and former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Monday was tapped by President Joe Biden to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Today, to lead and support the dedicated men and women of the ATF, I’m proud to nominate Steve Dettelbach,” Biden said during a Rose Garden speech, apologizing for mispronouncing his pick’s last name. “Steve is immensely qualified. He served the Department of Justice for two decades. He worked side by side to support the work of federal, state and local law enforcement, including ATF agents. One of the cases he personally tried as a U.S. attorney were the serial arsonists who firebombed the courthouses and police headquarters in Mansfield, Ohio.”
Biden continued, listing Dettelbach’s accolades, which he said include working with law enforcement to combat domestic extremism, and taking violent criminals off the streets.
Dettelbach thanked Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for appointing him to the role.
“Most especially today I want to thank the men and women of the ATF,” he said. “I started as a career prosecutor back in 1992 and I’ve spent three decades watching and admiring agents and staff at the ATF along with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners as they worked tirelessly and courageously to protect the American people.”
“Law enforcement is a very tough job, and no person and no agency is perfect,” he continued. “But the president is right. The men and women of the ATF and the public that they protect deserve better support from us.”
He promised to support the men and women of the ATF in his new role, and to “protect this nation,” if confirmed.
Dettelbach is no stranger to politics.
He ran as a Democrat and lost to Attorney General Dave Yost (R) in a close election to become Ohio’s top attorney back in 2018.
Dettelbach is Biden’s second nominee to head the ATF.
First, he nominated David Chipman, a former ATF agent and staunch anti-gun advocate who works for far-left anti-gun group Giffords, in what turned into a months-long fiasco leading to the withdrawal of Chipman’s nomination.
Before officially nominating Dettelbach, Biden spoke for about 30 minutes, highlighting his gun control agenda of universal background checks, and placing heavy emphasis on so-called “ghost guns.”
He promised a crackdown on those firearms, which are often assembled at home using kits sold online and do not have serial numbers, making them untraceable.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Steve Dettelbach” by Steve Dettelbach and “ATF” is by ATF.
