President-elect Donald Trump recently appointed Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister to serve as the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Chronister had been tapped by former Florida Governor Rick Scott to lead the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 and has won two successive elections for the position.
The incoming Republican president said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, “I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).” Trump continued applauding the sheriff, writing, “For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE.”
“A proud graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session, Chad is Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, Council Member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Safety Coordinating Council, and Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Schools Citizen Oversight Committee,” Trump said.
Highlighting his role as the incoming administrator of the agency, Trump noted, “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. Congratulations to Chad, his wife Nikki, and two wonderful sons!”
Responding to his appointment in the Trump administration, Chronister wrote on X, “It is the honor of a lifetime to be nominated by President @realDonaldTrump to serve as the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.”
However, there has been substantial pushback from conservatives on social media regarding the selection, with some citing Chronister’s record surrounding the pandemic. Chronister posted on X in 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.”
One person called out Chronister, stating, “You arrested a pastor for holding church services. That’s about the most unAmerican thing imaginable. In a just world you’d have been put in prison for that.” Another person similarly wrote, “You need to withdraw this nomination Trump. Covid Tyrants have no place in MAGAHA. He should be prosecuted for his Covid behavior not rewarded.”
Expressing more disapproval another person wrote, “You arrested pastors for holding church services. You are not trustworthy, and those acts disqualify you from any position of authority in the USA. If you have any honor or self-respect at all, you will turn down the nomination.” One person wrote, “Why did you have a pastor arrested for holding church service? This is a clear violation of the First Amendment. We need an answer to this, along with a groveling public apology and some genuine gesture to make things right for the man you wrongfully persecuted, or you won’t have our support.”
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Featured image credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chad_Chronister_official_portrait,_2017.jpg
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