Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn his nomination to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under President-elect Donald Trump.
In a statement shared on social media Tuesday, Chronister expressed gratitude for being nominated by President-elect Donald Trump, calling it “the honor of a lifetime.” However, he said the gravity of the position led him to conclude that he should remain focused on serving the citizens of Hillsborough County.
“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,” Chronister wrote. “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” he added.
Chronister did not elaborate, and Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment from Newsweek.
To have been nominated by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime. Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully… pic.twitter.com/bvNF8m9Bh4
— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) December 3, 2024
Chronister faced strong opposition from conservative lawmakers like Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Texas Rep. Chip Roy over his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, he ordered the arrest of Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne for holding in-person church services in violation of lockdown orders.
On Saturday, Trump announced plans to nominate Chronister to run the DEA. But the move sparked backlash from some of the businessman-turned-politician’s biggest backers, including Republican colleagues and followers within the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who represents a district in Kentucky, took to X to say: “I’m going to call ’em like I see ’em. Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns.”
Some X users, who identified themselves as “MAGA” in their profiles, were equally outraged. “Totally makes him unqualified. Yuck!” one wrote. Another added: “No Covid nazis allowed anywhere in the administration. Automatic disqualification.”
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