President Joe Biden’s new nominee to head the ATF, Steven Dettelbach, doesn’t have David Chipman’s baggage. After all, Chipman had a long history as an anti-gun advocate as well as a history saying rather inflammatory things about guns and gun owners.

Dettelbach doesn’t have any of that.

What he does seem to have, though, is a different sort of history.

PREAMBLE 

This document serves to explain and describe the unjust, unethical and criminal behavior of certain federal employees in their effort to investigate and wrongfully prosecute Benjamin Suarez and Suarez Corporation Industries (SCI). The Obama administration, Obama Justice Department officials and other federal employees from 2010 and on diverse dates thereafter engaged in an unlawful concerted effort to bring false charges and against Benjamin Suarez and SCI; for the simple reason that Suarez lawfully exercised his First Amendment right to speak. Since 2008 Suarez organized the funding of Republican congressional candidates; spoke out against Democratic congressional candidates; spoke out and disagreed with the Democratic Party, and actively criticized the Obama administration and its policies. For this, Suarez and many other innocent parties suffered at the hands of a corrupt and vindictive federal prosecution brought by the Obama Justice Department. Suarez, SCI and the other victims of this conspiracy will seek redress and justice against the many parties who participated in this travesty of justice. The history of this sad tale of a government run amok is set forth below.

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8. In 2009, the US Citizens Association ran a newspaper advertising campaign to support Republican congressional challenger Jim Renacci which is credited for helping defeat the Democratic incumbent who was also a friend of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, who was in turn a friend of than United States Attorney for the District of Northern Ohio Steven Dettelbach.

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10. Using the fact that the donors received bonuses from SCI as a pretext for alleging violations of federal elections laws, the United States Attorney Steven Dettelbach by and through his Assistant United States Attorney Carole Rendon launched a massive investigation of Benjamin D. Suarez and SCI which resulted in an unsuccessful election law prosecution which tarnished the reputation of SCI and its founder Suarez, caused massive economic loss to SCI, the loss of jobs, and the wrongful imprisonment of Suarez on a relatively minor obstruction charge. This was done entirely as a Democratic political vendetta against Suarez and SCI.

11. Both Rendon and Dettelbach knew that the charges against the Complainant were baseless. They knew the donors were affluent persons who did not need or require reimbursement for their donations and that SCI’s bookkeeping supported their defense that they were entitled to profit sharing distributions.

There’s more at the original link. A ton more.

Now, understand, these are just accusations. Dettelbach doesn’t appear to have been proven to have done anything wrong in a court of law.

However, if it is true, what could someone like that do as head of a law enforcement agency?

As it is, the ATF has a history of questionable prosecutions as it is, and their mistakes have made headlines and inflamed entire segments of the population. The words “Waco” and “Ruby Ridge” aren’t uttered lightly in pro-gun circles for a very good reason.

Clearly, Dettelbach needs to answer these accusations. Malicious prosecution isn’t something that should be ignored, especially by someone who is seeking to helm a law enforcement agency.

There will be a confirmation process, of course, and he’ll have the opportunity to answer questions. It’s up to the senators to make sure he explains himself.

Frankly, there needs to be a good answer.

We all know how the Obama administration abused its power by spying on reporters, among other things. Malicious prosecution of political opponents isn’t exactly hard to believe coming from that administration, and Dettelbach was clearly part of the process. Whether he actually believed it was a just prosecution or not is really the crux of the issue.

However, I somehow don’t think he believed any such thing. We’ll hope the confirmation process uncovers what happened and he answers for it one way or another, though.

Hat tip: Mom-at-Arms