This past sunday Donald Trump picked Chad Chronister for DEA leadership but the nomination didnt last long. Chronister a Florida-based sheriff with three-decades of local police work announced his step-back on tuesday
Over the past several days as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in‚ Iʼve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration
The nomination got mixed feedback from trump supporters who brought up Chronisters actions during covid times: he arrested a local pastor for not following lock-down rules back in 2020. Some experts pointed out that his local-level experience might not be enough for nation-wide drug enforcement work
This withdrawal marks the second time a trump pick stepped down in recent weeks. Earlier Matt Gaetz - trumps first choice for attorney-general position dropped out due to past-related concerns. The ex-presidents team hasnʼt shared any comments about the situation
The original plan was for Chronister to focus on the mexico-border fentanyl issues; the DEA (which works under Justice Department) handles all US drug-law tasks. Now the position remains open with no clear time-frame for a new pick