Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn his nomination from President Trump to head the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). “To have been nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump 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 withdraw from consideration,” Chronister said. “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 continued. 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 A closer look: Per USA TODAY: President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration is withdrawing just two days after his selection was announced, citing the “gravity” of the job. Trump selected Chad Chronister, the sheriff in Hillsborough County, Florida, to lead the DEA on Dec. 1. At the time, Chronister called it the “honor of a lifetime” and said he was “deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.” But on Tuesday Chronister posted on X that he’d reconsidered. Chronister’s announcement follows vicious backlash from conservatives regarding his actions during the COVID-19 scamdemic. “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,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said. 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. https://t.co/pHSmGr81Tz — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 1, 2024 X users reacted to Chronister withdrawing his nomination: Hundreds of tweets from conservative thought leaders on X later, and the "woke sheriff" of Hillsborough County withdraws himself from the DEA nomination. What happens here matters.https://t.co/7sMaZ0de6p https://t.co/y02r20zxjI pic.twitter.com/H7xFxeAHFc — Nikolai Yakovenko (@ivan_bezdomny) December 3, 2024 BREAKING: Chad Chronister has WITHDRAWN from the nomination for DEA Administrator Huge win for liberty https://t.co/wzfFKKD7vX https://t.co/j1MpEezeRm — Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) December 3, 2024 Covid tyrant Chad Chronister withdraws from head of DEA consideration!!!!!!! We did it, y’all!!!!!!! — Amity (@amitylee13) December 3, 2024 “Announcing the arrest of Dr. Ronald Howard-Browne, Pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, who intentionally and repeatedly disregarded state and local public health orders, which put his congregation and our community in danger,” Chronister said in March 2020. Announcing the arrest of Dr. Ronald Howard-Browne, Pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, who intentionally and repeatedly disregarded state and local public health orders, which put his congregation and our community in danger. pic.twitter.com/1gERVdzyIp — Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) March 30, 2020 Here’s a screenshot: “I believe there is nothing more important than faith at a time like this, and as a Sheriff’s Office, we would never impede on someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort,” Chronister said in a press release about the arrest of the pastor. “But practicing those beliefs has to be done safely,” he added. Church pastor arrested for violating county COVID-19 orders “I believe there is nothing more important than faith at a time like this, and as a Sheriff’s Office, we would never impede on someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort,” said Sheriff… https://t.co/2ITVlKUrRB pic.twitter.com/cynEs2h0VV — Max (@MaxNordau) December 1, 2024 From the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in March 2020: The Sheriff’s Office made contact with leaders at the River at Tampa Bay Church on Friday, March 27, following an anonymous tip that Pastor Howard-Browne refused requests to temporarily stop holding large gatherings at his church. Instead, the pastor was encouraging his congregation to continue to meet in person. His actions were a direct violation of Executive Order 20-05, which went into effect on March 20, limiting gatherings, including faith-based gatherings, to less than 10 people. He was also violating the Safer-At-Home Order, which went into effect on March 27, advising Hillsborough County residents to remain in their homes as much as possible to create greater social distancing and reduce the spread of COVID-19. On Friday, and again on Sunday, Sheriff’s Office personnel and legal staff spoke with attorneys representing the church in an attempt to educate them on the orders in place and the dangerous environment they were creating for their members and the community. Neither the pastor nor his church leaders heeded the warnings. “His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger,” said Sheriff Chronister. “The River at Tampa Bay has an advantage over most places of worship, because they have access to technology that allows them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast television for the more than 4,000 members to watch from the safety of their homes.” Pastor Howard-Browne hosted services in his church with hundreds of people at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday and even provided bus transportation to the church. Due to his disregard for public safety after repeated requests and warnings, HCSO worked with State Attorney Andrew Warren to obtain a warrant for Pastor Howard-Browne’s arrest on Monday morning, March 30. Pastor Howard-Browne was arrested at his home in Hernando County around 1:30 p.m. the same day. “Our goal here is not to stop anyone from worshipping, but the safety and well being of our community must always come first,” said Sheriff Chronister. Chronister also withheld covered time off from unvaccinated law enforcement officers who became ill during COVID-19. “Trying to do everything we can without mandating the vaccine, doing everything we can to encourage people to get vaccinated,” Chronister said in 2021, according to WFLA. Per WFLA: “Stop listening to the politicians. Start listening to the medical professionals and the scientists and get vaccinated,” Chronister said. “If you don’t want to do it for yourself do it for your coworkers, do it for your family and do it to stay alive.” The most recent data from the Florida Department of Health shows for the week of Aug. 20 through August 26 there were more than 151,000 new COVID-19 cases in our state. That week’s covid deaths were recorded at 1,727 which is up from the previous week’s report of 1,486. In the Tampa Bay area, multiple police departments and sheriff’s offices have lost law enforcement members because of COVID-19. Something that Sheriff Chronister is very aware of. “I put out a policy a while ago that if you are unvaccinated and you have to quarantine or you get ill you have to use your own accrued time. If you are vaccinated and you get sick the sheriff’s office will cover your time off,” said Chronister. WATCH:

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