President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, Chad Chronister, announced on Tuesday that he will not be running for the position.
Only three days after Trump announced his intention to nominate him as the next DEA administrator, Chronister, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, declared he would decline the candidacy. After former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrawn his candidacy for attorney general last month, he is the second Trump administration appointee to remove his name from consideration.
“To have been nominated by President-Elect@realDonaldTrumpto serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime,” Chronisterwrote on XTuesday evening. “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration.”
In order to serve the residents of Hillsborough County, Chronister mentioned the necessity for further work “and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling.”
A request for comment was not immediately answered by a representative of Trump’s transition team.
Over the weekend, Trump appointed Chronister as the DEA administrator, a position in the Department of Justice that needs Senate approval.
Trump stated in a Saturday aposton Truth Social that Chronister “will work with our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES.”
On Xon Saturday, Chronister wrote, “I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation,” in response to the planned nomination.
In 2017, Chronister was initially named sheriff by then-Governor Rick Scott, who is currently a member of the U.S. Senate. According to the sheriff’s website, Chronister has been employed with the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office for 28 years.
Scott spoke to Chronister as a “incredible pick,” but several Republicans applauded his withdrawal and reacted negatively to his appointment to the top DEA position.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., brought up the 2020 arrest of Rodney Howard-Browne, a pastor from Florida, who was charged with unlawful assembly and violating public health emergency regulations after allegedly disobeying municipal pandemic directives prohibiting large gatherings.
“A pastor was arrested by this sheriff for conducting services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump appointed him to lead the DEA,” Massies stated on X. “I’m glad he stopped taking consideration. He can save himself the next time a politician loses his heart by abiding by the Constitution.
A sheriff’s office spokesman who was contacted for comment directed NBC News to Chronister’s statement on X, but she did not address inquiries about whether Chronister’s decision was influenced by the criticism.
In March 2020, Chronister informed reporters that he had requested an arrest warrant for the pastor because of his heedless disdain for human life, which endangered hundreds of members of his church and thousands of locals who might come into contact with them this week.
Chronister’s withdrawal from consideration for a position during Trump’s second term is not the first time he has done so.
Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, withdrew his name from contention to be attorney general in November due to allegations of sexual misconduct, which he rejected.
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