Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have requested a second hearing with David Chipman over allegations that he had made a racist comment in the past.
How we got here: The alleged racist remarks that Chipman made while working at the ATF as an agent were revealed as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that the American Accountability Foundation filed.
“Wow, there were an unusually large number of African American agents that passed the exam this time. They must have been cheating,” Chipman allegedly said in 2007.
The group’s president, Tom Jones, claimed he was told by a former ATF agent that he personally heard Chipman made the remarks. The former agent also reported the incident to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to Jones.
Another former ATF agent told the Daily Caller, which first reported on the lawsuit, that Chipman’s alleged remarks “spread like wildfire at the agency” at the time.
Earlier this week, The Reload reported that it spoke with several current and former ATF agents who said they’ve heard the story that Chipman made the alleged comment.
Chipman told Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that he has received two EEOC complaints while working at the ATF, which were resolved without any finding of discrimination.
The story: The group of GOP lawmakers sent a letter to the committee’s Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), asking that he schedule a follow-up hearing with Chipman, who was nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
“Mr. Chipman’s nomination was never reported from the Judiciary Committee; it failed by an even
vote. This means his nomination is still here,” the senators wrote.
“Because the Judiciary Committee still has Mr. Chipman’s nomination it’s critical that we call him in for a public hearing to address these allegations before any move is made to advance his failed nomination to the Floor,” the letter continued. “Furthermore you as Chairman must lead the Judiciary Committee in calling on the Justice Department and Mr. Chipman to make public and transparent any such records referenced in these reports.”
The Republican lawmakers said that the second reporting on Chipman’s allege remarks is worrying and asked Durbin to make public the EEOC complaints that Chipman cited.
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