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Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff, has withdrawn from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, he announced on Tuesday.
“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, the sheriff of Hillsborough County, posted on X.
“There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling. I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County,” he added.
The Trump transition team declined to comment.
Chronister has served as the sheriff for Hillsborough County — which includes the city of Tampa — since 2017, when he was appointed to the post by then-Gov. Rick Scott, according to his office’s website. He has served with the sheriff’s office for 32 years and has been reelected twice since 2017 to serve as the county’s top law enforcement officer.
When Trump announced Chronister as his pick Saturday, the president-elect said in a social media post: “As DEA Administrator, Chad 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.”
He is the second of Trump’s picks to withdraw from being considered for a post in the next administration. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz announced last month that he’d no longer seek the appointment of attorney general as the conservative firebrand faced an uphill battle to be confirmed in the Senate. Trump replaced him with a fellow Floridian, former state Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is from Tampa.
Chronister’s wife, Nicole DeBartolo, is the daughter of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. During his first term, Trump granted Chronister’s father-in-law a presidential pardon after he pleaded guilty in 1998 to failing to report a felony in a bribery case, which led to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards’ federal prison sentence. While he didn’t serve jail time, Edward DeBartolo Jr. agreed to pay up to $1 million in fines and relinquished ownership of the NFL team to his sister.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Steve Contorno and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
