What to know about Robert Cekada,
Trump's pick for next ATF director

President Donald Trump has officially named veteran ATF official Robert Cekada as his nominee to serve as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The move marks another major shift inside the agency after Trump's return to the White House and the rapid unwinding of several Biden-era gun policies.

Cekada's nomination was formally sent to the Senate on Nov. 18 and referred to the Judiciary Committee for consideration. According to the congressional record, Trump nominated him "to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, vice Steven M. Dettelbach, resigned."

A familiar face inside the ATF — but not a typical Trump outsider

Unlike some of Trump's recent department picks, Cekada is not an outsider. He's spent 20 years inside ATF, rising through the ranks after serving in the NYPD and the Plantation, Florida, Police Department, including time in anti-gang units and SWAT.

He began his ATF career in Hyattsville, Maryland, working on the Regional Area Gang Enforcement Task Force before moving to Tampa and later headquarters. Over the past decade, he has climbed through ATF's most important command positions, eventually becoming executive assistant director of operations and then deputy director — the agency's number two position. …