President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration abruptly withdrew his name from consideration on Tuesday just days after being chosen.
Chad Chronister said in a post on X that he made the decision “as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in,” but didn’t cite a reason for his withdrawal other than concluding he wanted to continue in his current role as a sheriff in Florida.
“There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” he said. “I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County.”
Chronister was initially appointed to his job as county sheriff by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott in 2017 before successfully running for election to the role. He also overlapped in the office with Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, when she was a state prosecutor. Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday, when he announced his selection, that Chronister would “secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES.”
Chronister drew criticism from some conservatives, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), over his actions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, his office arrested a Tampa pastor for violating quarantine orders to hold services. Charges against the pastor were ultimately dropped.
“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,” Massie, a member of the House Judiciary and House Rules Committees, posted on X on Sunday.
Chronister’s crime fighting approach as sheriff of a purple county also hasn’t necessarily fallen in line with conservative orthodoxy.
“When I stepped into my role as Hillsborough County Sheriff, I knew that as a law enforcement agency, we could not arrest our way out of problems like drug addiction and mental health issues in our community,” Chronister said in 2021. “We had to take a holistic approach in order to reduce recidivism.”
But Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’d been a vocal critic of Covid lockdowns, publicly backed Chronister’s nomination. He specifically cited a decision he made in 2022, when Chronister stood beside him as he ousted a left-leaning prosecutor, Andrew Warren.
Asked for comment about Chronister’s withdrawal, Trump transition spokesperson Brian Hughes said the sheriff’s statement spoke for itself.
