TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced this week that he withdrew from consideration as President-Elect Donald Trump's choice to be administrator of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.
Within 24 hours, however, Trump told followers the decision was his — not Chronister's.
In a Tuesday post on his personal X account, Chronister described his nomination as the honor of a lifetime but indicated he planned to continue serving as sheriff of Florida's third-largest county.
"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, in part. "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," the sheriff added.
Chronister's announcement came just three days after his nomination — well before any Senate confirmation hearings could be held.
The news followed some conservative backlash over his handling of COVID-era crowd restrictions. The criticism centered around his office's March 2020 decision to arrest Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne for allowing crowds of worshippers at The River at Tampa Bay Church. At the time, Chronister accused the church of violating a temporary countywide "safer-at-home" order against large gatherings, calling the situation a "reckless disregard for public safety."
Within a day of Chronister's nomination, conservative political commentator and podcaster Liz Wheeler was publicly calling on Trump to reverse his decision to put forth the sheriff's name to lead the DEA.
"Chad Chronister is a COVID tyrant who arrested a Christian pastor for holding church in person during the pandemic," Wheeler wrote on X. "Chronister held a press conference bragging about the arrest. Chronister abused his power; he’s unfit to lead the DEA. Trump should withdraw his nomination."
Pastor Howard-Browne was charged with two misdemeanors, one for violating public health emergency rules and a second for unlawful assembly. Both were later dropped.
"This sheriff ordered the arrest of a pastor for holding services during the COVID panic," wrote U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in a post on X following Chronister's decision to remove himself from consideration. "He was tapped by Trump to head the DEA. Glad to see him withdraw from consideration. Next time politicians lose their ever-lovin minds, he can redeem himself by following the Constitution."
When Trump nominated Chronister in late November, the president-elect said the sheriff would work to secure the border and stop the flow of illegal drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.
By Wednesday, a day after Chronister announced he would not be moving forward through the confirmation process, Trump had taken to Truth Social to criticize how The Wall Street Journal covered Chronister's announcement. In the social media post, the president-elect also indicated he made the decision to reverse course on Chronister, as opposed to it being the sheriff's choice to withdraw. In the post, Trump appeared to reference the arrest of Pastor Howard-Browne and Chronister's COVID-era statements as the reason.
"...he didn’t pull out, I pulled him out, because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters," Trump wrote, in part.
The 45th president and Chronister have known each other for years. Chronister is the son-in-law of former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who then-President Trump pardoned in 2020 for DeBartolo's role in a gambling fraud scandal. Chronister was at the pardoning ceremony.
The 56-year-old Pennsylvania native became sheriff in 2017 when then-Gov. Rick Scott, now a senator, appointed him following David Gee's abrupt retirement. Voters went on to reelect Chronister twice.
In total, Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for the last 32 years. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he co-chairs the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay.
Among several other roles, Chronister also sits on the Florida Attorney General's Statewide Council on Human Trafficking and the state Statewide Drug Policy Advisory Council.
The county's top cop was one of several Florida Republicans nominated for positions in the incoming Trump administration.
Sen. Marco Rubio was nominated for secretary of state, and U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz was tapped as national security adviser.
President-elect Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to run the Justice Department after former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration — with Gaetz writing his nomination was "becoming a distraction" amid a House ethics investigation into sex-related allegations he vehemently denies.
It is not yet clear who Trump will nominate in Chronister's place.