One of Washington’s long standing absurdities came to an end Wednesday.
For seven years, ATF had been unable to get a director confirmed by the Senate, a goal that was often blocked by such gun organizations as the National Rifle Association.
But Wednesday that logjam came to an end.
The Senate, by a vote of 53-42, confirmed acting director B. Todd Jones as the permanent director.
Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post writes:
The National Rifle Association has effectively blocked past nominees to head ATF. But NRA lobbyist Jim Baker said this week that the organization was not going to take a position on Jones and was not using the vote on his nomination to “score” senators, as the organization does with some other votes. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the group that represents firearms manufacturers, also threw its support behind Jones this week.
“While we have at times strongly disagreed with the policy and regulatory positions and interpretations ATF has taken during Mr. Jones’ tenure as acting director, we have never found Mr. Jones himself to be disagreeable,” the NSSF’s general counsel, Lawrence Keane, wrote in a letter Wednesday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky). “Under Mr. Jones’ leadership, ATF has always listened to our concerns and issues with an open mind.”
