Following former Rep Gaetz (R-FL) withdrawal from consideration as head of DoJ, we now have the second nominee withdrawing from consideration, this time for the head of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), a Sheriff Chronister from Florida:
“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,” he wrote. “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling.”
Some conservatives had opposed Trump’s choice of Chronister, citing the sheriff’s enforcement of public health orders during the covid pandemic. The right-wing opposition crystallized around Chronister’s arrest of a pastor who was charged with ignoring state and local public health orders by holding large church services in March 2020 — the same month the World Health Organization declared covid-19 a pandemic and Trump declared a national emergency.
The criticism unfolded swiftly after Trump’s announcement on Saturday that he would tap Chronister for the role of leading the nation’s top drug enforcement agency. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) was among the critics, saying on X on Sunday that Chronister should be “disqualified” over the pastor’s arrest. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association said in a statement that it was “shocked and dismayed” by the selection, citing Chronister’s enforcement of covid mandates.
Or, in other words, if you’re a responsible Republican, don’t bother to have ambitions in the Trump Administration, even if have had your profile raised by your response to events – or by your own efforts. If Trump accidentally picks you, the extremists on the right will chase you away.
How long will it take to realize the effort is probably coordinated outside of the United States?
