Trending Topics

Fla. sheriff tapped by Trump to lead DEA withdraws from nomination

“There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” Sheriff Chad Chronister stated

US-NEWS-TRUMP-DEA-CHRONISTER-PT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister attend a press conference at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s Falkenburg Road Jail Assembly Room in October. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

Jefferee Woo/TNS

By Dan Sullivan
Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. — Three days after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said late Tuesday that he no longer wants to be considered for the job.

The sheriff made the abrupt announcement on social media.

“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.”

The sheriff offered no specific details about his reason for withdrawing his nomination.

Trump announced Saturday evening that Chronister was his pick to be the administrator for the federal agency in charge of enforcing the nation’s drug laws. The selection, while widely praised, was unusual in that Chronister had spent his career in local law enforcement.

The selection came a week after Trump picked Hillsborough County native Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general, to lead the U.S. Department of Justice. Bondi, who began her career as a prosecutor in Tampa, has worked alongside Chronister and would have worked closely with him in his role at the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Chronister called his nomination to lead the federal agency the “honor of a lifetime.” Though the nomination drew praise from local law enforcement leaders, some national conservative political figures were questioning the selection by Monday and Tuesday. They noted that in 2020 Chronister arrested a church pastor who refused to abide by COVID-19 lockdown orders. Some also questioned Chronister’s policies and past actions on guns, immigration, protests and other issues.

_____

©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Study seeks insights into how fear of retaliation influences officers’ decisions to report internal issues
Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe on leading with accountability, embracing change and staying true to his roots in policing
Among the speakers at Saturday’s memorial service was Officer Cameron Girvin’s wife, Jessica, who is expecting the couple’s first child in August
“The outstanding communication by dispatch and the quick actions of the MCSO deputies...ensured the safety of the two residents of the home and the family dog,” the Macomb County Sheriff’s office stated