Attorney General Pam Bondi approved the move, in-the-know sources told the newspaper. Controversy had previously bubbled over alleged pressure on a Justice Department pardon attorney who had refused to recommend that Gibson have his right to own firearms reinstated.

Elizabeth G. Oyer said last month she was told by her superiors to make the recommendation because of Gibson’s “personal relationship” with Trump but held her ground over concerns about the Oscar winner’s volatile past. That’s why she got fired, she said.

A Justice Department official denied her account in a previous Times report.

HuffPost has reached out to Gibson and the Justice Department for comment.