ATF Chief Counsel Robert Leider Steps Down Amid Firearms Rules Overhaul

Leider announces his departure

Leider announced Friday that he is stepping down as chief counsel at the ATF, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The agency later said it had issued a brief statement announcing his resignation.

A source with direct knowledge said Leider will remain employed by the agency through January. He is expected to start administrative leave Monday and then return to his teaching post.

Firearms rules under review

Leider oversaw a review of dozens of firearms-related regulations unveiled by the Justice Department in April. The department said the changes were intended to ease unnecessary burdens on law-abiding citizens and businesses while updating rules it said no longer reflected current law, agency practice or court precedent.

Differences over legal positions

Leider was a political appointee and a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, but sources previously told CBS News that he sometimes disagreed with Justice Department leadership over legal positions in cases brought against the ATF by pro-gun groups. The supplied report also refers to a decision not to appeal a ruling, saying sources told CBS News in September that President Trump directed it. The report says that decision conflicted with advice from numerous career and political appointees at the Justice Department, but does not identify the ruling.