President-elect Donald Trump has once again angered conservatives with one of his cabinet picks, this time choosing Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister to head the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
As a Republican Sheriff of Florida’s Hillsborough County, Chronister worked to support progressive priorities, including transgender ideology and so-called “restorative justice.”
In one example cited by conservative critics, Chronister released a hardened criminal who went on to commit murder the next day. He was also criticized for taking a lenient approach to Black Lives Matter rioters who destroyed public property and for arresting a pastor for preaching during COVID lockdowns.
[RELATED: Trump’s Surgeon General Pick: Pro-Vax Double-Masker Who Praised Facebook’s COVID-19 Censorship…]
“Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE,” said President Trump.
“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 added.
Chronister took to Twitter to celebrate his nomination for the DEA position.
“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,” said Chronister.
Some Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, came out in support of Chronister.
“When we removed Soros-backed prosecutor Andrew Warren from office, nobody supported us more strongly than Sheriff Chad Chronister,” said Gov. DeSantis, “I congratulate Chad on his nomination and look forward to him taking on the drug cartels on behalf of the American people.”
Trump and DeSantis seem unconcerned with Chronister’s record of supporting far-left causes.
In 2021, Chronister participated in a Pride parade and worked to establish the sheriff’s department LGBTQ Liaison program.
The program assigned two taxpayer-funded deputies to speak with church groups and schools about LGBT issues and to provide resources to transgender and gay youth.
He also celebrated the department’s first openly transgender deputy and encouraged people to report anti-LGBT “hate crimes.”
“The mission of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office LGBTQ Liaison program will be to continuously strive to promote awareness of LGBTQ issues while working to evoke change in the perceptions and treatment of LGBTQ persons and to defend the community while preserving the rights and dignity of all,” said the department.
In 2020, Chronister allowed the release of career criminal Joseph Edward Williams as part of a COVID-era program to let criminals go free while awaiting trial for “minor” crimes.
In William’s case, those “minor” crimes included felony heroin possession.
Chronister’s department neglected Williams’s past criminal history, including multiple felony convictions and 35 arrests, when they allowed him to be released.
The department released Williams on March 19, and just one day later, he was arrested again for allegedly murdering a woman with a gun.
Despite the fatal outcome of the lenient policy, Chronister continued to defend the policy that allowed the violent criminal back into the public.
“Sheriffs in Florida and throughout our country have released non-violent, low-level offenders to protect our deputies and the jail population from an outbreak,” he said.
His weak-on-crime policies also extended to the BLM riots that erupted in 2020 at the height of COVID-19 following the arrest of George Floyd.
One deputy working at the Hillsborough County Jail told the Tampa Free Press that Chronister ordered them to stand down when BLM rioters were destroying public property and trying to tear down a gate to the prison.
“It was ridiculous that we were not allowed to do anything, and no one was arrested, and it has deeply affected morale,” said the Deputy.
Chronister was also an outspoken supporter of COVID-era policies, such as social distancing mandates.
He proudly took to X (then Twitter) in 2020 and requested that the public limit their movements, adding that if they must go out boating, they should maintain social distancing and keep a 50-foot distance between each boat on the water.
“Remember that you must also remain socially distanced from other boaters. Make sure that you keep 50 feet between you and other vessels on the water,” said Chronister.
He even bragged about arresting Pastor Ronald Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church for the crime of continuing to preach to his congregation during COVID lockdowns.
“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,” said Chronister.
Chronister penalized deputies who refused to take the COVID vaccine, forcing them to use their vacation time to cover sick leave while covering vaccinated officers’ sick days.
“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,” said Chronister.
Before running for sheriff as a Republican, Chronister donated tens of thousands of dollars to President Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Nevertheless, Trump believes that he is the best pick to keep our nation safe amid the ongoing fentanyl crisis.
Many Conservatives, however, did not agree with Trump’s assessment.
“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,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-K.).
Chronister is not the first of Trump’s picks to enrage many in his base.
His pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was also a staunch supporter of prevailing COVID narratives.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="32952 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=32952">3 Comments
Keep your boat 50’ away from others? He said that seriously, apparently. It was not an SNL gag.
The nominee has removed himself from consideration. Great job by conservative independent media exposing his egregious actions.
Good news he backed out