Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn his nomination from President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency, the sheriff announced on social media Tuesday evening.
"To have been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration is the honor of a lifetime," Chronister wrote in an Instagram post.
He continued, "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."
When Chronister was initially nominated, President-elect Trump said this about his selection.
"I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)," Trump wrote on his social media website. "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."
Brian Boyd is a former Green Beret and a former DEA intelligence analyst. He was surprised to hear Sheriff Chronister backed out.
"I don't know this sheriff, but he's got great credentials. I was impressed with his background and I simply said, I think he'll do a good job," said Boyd.
"He's been reelected twice, my opinion is he'd be very well liked by the rank and file of DEA. In the past, in the current administration, they've appointed all kinds of different people, none of which I thought had fabulous, respectable credentials where the rank and file would look up to the administrator."
Chronister graduated from the FBI National Academy's 260th session and has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in criminology. He was appointed in 2017 by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott to head the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and has since been reelected twice.
Chronister is the second nominee to withdraw after being selected by President-elect Trump. Former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew as Attorney General nominee after numerous scandals emerged.
This is a breaking news story. Stay with ABC Action News for the latest information as it becomes available.
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