Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister shares support for Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’ announcement of the suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren during a press conference at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office administration building, on Thursday, Aug 4, 2022, in Tampa, Fla.
Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Chad Chronister, President-elect Donald Trump’s selection to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday that he would withdraw from consideration for the post.
Chronister, who serves as sheriff in Hillsborough County, Florida, said he would turn down Trump’s planned nomination to be the next DEA administrator just three days after he announced it. He is the second of Trump’s picks to join his administration to take his name out of the running, after former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., dropped his bid to become attorney general last month.
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“To have been nominated by President-Elect @realDonaldTrump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime,” Chronister wrote on X Tuesday 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.”
Chronister cited ongoing work that’s needed in serving the people of Hillsborough County “and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump had tapped Chronister to be DEA administrator, a role within the Department of Justice that requires Senate confirmation, over the weekend.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said 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.”
Chronister responded favorably to the intended nomination in a post on X on Saturday, writing, “I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.”
Chronister was first appointed as sheriff by then-Gov. Rick Scott, who now serves in the U.S. Senate, in 2017. Chronister has worked in the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office for 28 years, according to the sheriff’s website.
While Scott called Chronister an “incredible pick,” some Republicans bristled at his selection for the top DEA role and welcomed his withdrawal.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., referred to the 2020 arrest of Rodney Howard-Browne, a Florida pastor, who was accused of defying local pandemic orders barring mass gatherings and booked for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules.
“This sheriff ordered the arrest of a pastor for holding services during the COVID panic. He was tapped by Trump to head the DEA,” Massie said on X. “Glad to see him withdraw from consideration. Next time politicians lose their ever-lovin minds, he can redeem himself by following the Constitution.”
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office referred NBC News to Chronister’s statement on X, but did not respond to questions about whether the criticism had played a role in Chronister’s decision.
Chronister told reporters in March 2020 that he sought an arrest warrant for the pastor because his “reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people from his congregation at risk” and also threatened “thousands of residents who may interact with them this week.”
Chronister is not the first of Trump’s picks to withdraw his name from consideration for a post in his second term.
In November, Gaetz, R-Fla. withdrew his name from consideration to serve as attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied.
