Biden to tap Arizona US attorney as interim ATF director

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The Biden administration is expected to tap Gary Restaino, the U.S. Attorney from Arizona, to serve as interim director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives until President Biden’s nominee to the post is confirmed, a source told Fox News Wednesday.

Restaino became U.S. attorney in November 2021 after working in the office for nearly two decades. Prior to becoming U.S. attorney, Restaino served as chief of the Criminal Division in Phoenix from 2012 to 2016, and as chief of the White Collar Crime Section from 2008 to 2009. 

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From 2009 until 2010, Restaino was detailed as a trial attorney to the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

ATF agents investigating a shooting in 2018.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Restaino's appointment as interim director comes just a week after the president announced the nomination of Steve Dettelbach for ATF director. 

Dettelbach has already received a number of endorsements from top law enforcement officials and federal prosecutors who were appointed under both Republican and Democrat administrations, including Rod Rosenstein, who served as deputy attorney general during the Trump administration. 

A White House official described him as a "highly qualified candidate," and a "highly respected former U.S. attorney and career prosecutor" with a "proven track record."

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Biden named David Chipman as his nominee to lead ATF in 2021. Chipman faced fierce backlash from pro-gun rights groups almost immediately following his nomination.

Former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent and Giffords Law Center senior policy advisor David Chipman testifies before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during a hearing on assault weapons in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill Sept. 25, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Chipman, a 25-year ATF veteran, made a name for himself as a strong advocate for increased regulations of guns and has returned to his role as an advisor for Giffords, a gun control advocacy group named after former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was shot while in office.

Biden pulled Chipman’s nomination Sept. 9 after his confirmation failed to get through the Senate.