(LifeSiteNews) — Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn from consideration to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in President Donald Trump’s second administration, following intense pressure over his liberal record and enforcement of extreme COVID measures.
Trump nominated Chronister on November 30, declaring he would “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.” But he quickly met a torrent of conservative opposition over his record, the most famous part of which was his arrest of Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, in March 2020 for “intentionally and repeatedly host[ing] church services with hundreds of members in attendance” in violation of COVID emergency orders against large public gatherings.
On December 3, Chronister announced on social media that, while honored by the nomination, “as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” citing more work to do in his county.
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
Howard-Browne, to whom Chronister since apologized, vouched for Chronister’s nomination, framing their original conflict as a matter of the sheriff having no choice but to enforce the orders of his superiors. But the arrest was far from the only concerning aspect of his record, which also included support for LGBT “pride,” giving preferential treatment to jabbed employees, his history as a Democrat, and supporting “red flag” gun confiscation laws.
Chronister joined a lineup of Trump cabinet picks that has received a mixed reception from conservatives. On COVID, for example, Trump has chosen fierce establishment critics Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for National Institutes of Health director. But he has also nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, who promoted COVID masking, social distancing, and COVID shots well into 2022, to be his surgeon general.
Conservatives and Republicans remain divided over a number of Trump’s nominees. But Chronister’s withdrawal, following the pullout of Trump’s first nominee for Attorney General, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, indicates that they retain some degree of willingness and ability to dissent from and influence the choices of the current party leader.