Sen. Kennedy: Biden nominees like ATF's Chipman 'have contempt for America and Americans'

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Sen. Kennedy: Biden family shows America can be 'bought like a sack of potatoes'

Louisiana Senator weighs in Biden's ATF nominee, potential origins of COVID and latest Hunter Biden scandal on 'Hannity'

Senator John N. Kennedy, R-La., sounded off on Thursday after his fiery back and forth with President Biden's nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, David Chipman—in which Chipman was notably unable to clearly state a definition of the term "assault weapon".

Kennedy noted on "Hannity" that Chipman wants to ban so-called assault weapons, but can't define the thing he wants to prohibit.

"It was sad," he said. "The people that president Biden has appointed to make policy for him are the most radical folks I have ever seen. These are people that have contempt for America -- They have contempt for Americans."

"They think they are smarter and more virtuous than the American people who didn't vote for president Biden in their opinion. They think we are all a bunch of deplorables," the lawmaker added, referring to the way Hillary Clinton famously disparaged the segment of society amenable to Donald Trump.

Chipman, who notably served as a case agent for ATF in the 1994 Branch Davidian trial, while he was based at the Waco, Texas, field office, spent more than two decades at the bureau.

Kennedy riffed that Chipman's list of Constitutional amendments likely skips from personal freedoms to the quartering of troops.

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"His copy of the Bill of Rights goes from Amendment 1 to 3. I am convinced he doesn't believe in Second Amendment. This is America, you can believe what you want, but you can't ignore the Constitution when you take an oath of office to abide by it," Kennedy said.

"These are just really radical people. I think the Biden administration by virtue of its appointees and otherwise, they have this huge blind spot about the lives and the problems of middle-class Americans."

Kennedy also reacted to his questioning of NIAID director Anthony Fauci, and concerns first raised in Congress by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that he or his agency gave funding to the Wuhan lab suspected as the initiation point for the coronavirus that dealt with gain of function research. 

Fauci, 80, denies the allegations.

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"I know Dr. Fauci, and I respect Dr. Fauci, I am disappointed in Dr. Fauci. On too many issues he's flip-flopped like a banked catfish," he said.

"I am a simple guy. I like breakfast food and straight answers and he won't give a straight answers. Dodges and bobs and weaves and rope-a-dopes. This is serious business. People lives are at stake."

"His agency, he gave money to the Wuhan lab that was playing around with this virus."

Kennedy said he wants to know what other labs the U.S. taxpayer is funding abroad that are "trying to create Frankensteins" through gain-of-function research.

"I am not saying [Fauci] did or didn't… When he found out, why wasn't he on the phone to President Biden raising fresh hell?"

Kennedy added that Fauci's likely negative feelings toward Trump should be irrelevant to the situation.