The Justice Department hired economist John Lott, who is known for his research claiming that widespread gun ownership reduces crime, according to Politico.

A spokesperson from the Justice Department confirmed Lott’s new position Monday, but refused to answer additional questions about his hiring, Politico reported Tuesday.

Lott assumed the position of Senior Advisor for Research and Statistics according to his Linkedin. He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and has taught at several universities including University of Chicago, Yale University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, UCLA, and Rice University. He founded the Crime Prevention Research Center in 2013 and served as president until his hiring at the Justice Department. (RELATED: A NEW HOPE: Young Americans Less Likely To Support Gun Control Despite Media Narrative)

For more than two decades, he has served as a witness for Republican lawmakers and has made frequent appearances on Capitol Hill expressing deep concern about gun control legislation, Politico reported.

Lott is also a supporter of President Donald Trump. He wrote that a Biden presidency would endanger second amendment rights in a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Democrats Are Coming For Your Guns.”

Lott has also criticized Twitter and Facebook in recent tweets.

Twitter and FB are evil jokes. They put up a warning u have to go through to retweet this statement by Trump who is quoting a NEWS ORGANIZATION. Would Twitter ever put up a warning that a @nytimes story is disputed? Srsly?But NYT stories rely on 1 anonymous witness & often wrong? https://t.co/2GsN5LioQZ

— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) November 12, 2020