By Faris Tanyos
/ CBS News
Assessing Trump’s Cabinet picks
President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is tapping Republican Florida sheriff Chad Chronister to serve as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump said Chronister will work with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice, “to secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border.”
Bondi was chosen by Trump after his previous selection, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, withdrew his nomination amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations against him of sexual misconduct.
Chronister has been sheriff of Florida’s Hillsborough County since being appointed to the role by then-Gov. Rick Scott 2017, and has since won reelection twice. He has been with the department for 32 years. Hillsborough County includes much of the Tampa Bay metro area.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace outgoing DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, who has held the role for nearly the entirety of President Biden’s term.
In a statement provided to CBS affiliate WTSP, Chronister called it “the honor of a lifetime to be nominated,” adding that he was “deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.”
The DEA, which is part of the Justice Department, has approximately 10,000 employees and is tasked with enforcing America’s drug laws. Among its major edicts has been addressing the opioid crisis.
In an interview with “60 Minutes” in September, Milgram said the U.S. is “losing a generation” to fentanyl.
“As complex and as massive a problem as this is, it’s also not a whodunit. We know who’s responsible,” Milgram said. “It’s the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel that are based in Mexico. They dominate and control the entire global fentanyl supply chain, starting in China, going to Mexico, coming into the United States.”
During his campaign, Trump pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking, and this week, Trump followed through by threatening to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on both Mexico and Canada until those issues are properly addressed to his liking.
In response, Trump held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Wednesday, which she described as an “excellent conversation.” On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise trip to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two men had dinner. Trump described their meeting as “very productive.”
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
