Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) withdrew a motion to vote on Texas Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, President Biden’s nominee to serve as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after the nominee's wife accused him of domestic abuse, the Hill reports. Peters acted after Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) raised concerns to Peters and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Because of the severity of these allegations, the vote on this nomination should be postponed until it can be determined whether or not these allegations are true,” Lankford said.
Gonzalez’s wife told a police officer that the nominee became “physical or violent’ with her after he discovered she had a romantic relationship with her supervisor at Houston Community College, where she worked as vice chancellor. “If these allegations of physical and violent domestic abuse are true, they are disqualifying for a law enforcement officer at any level and raise significant questions about the nominee,” Lankford said. Biden renominated Gonzalez to lead ICE in January after the Senate failed to move on his nomination last year.