Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has been nominated to lead Trump's DEA, but his actions during the COVID pandemic have led to conservative pushback.

Trump DEA Pick Chad Chronister Accused of COVID-Era “Tyranny,” Pro-DEI Policies

2 months ago
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Connor Walcott
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President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has nominated Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, a 32-year law enforcement veteran with “countless commendations and awards,” to serve as the next administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency. But while Chronister’s nomination is being touted by the incoming Trump administration as a step in the right direction for the DEA, many within Trump’s own base are fiercely opposing the sheriff’s nomination, claiming his actions during the COVID pandemic disqualify him from holding office.

“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,” the president-elect wrote in a statement. “A proud graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session, Chad is Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, Council Member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Safety Coordinating Council, and Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Schools Citizen Oversight Committee.”

“As DEA Administrator, 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,” Trump continued. “Congratulations to Chad, his wife Nikki, and two wonderful sons!”

Chronister described the nomination as “the honor of a lifetime” and said that he is “deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.” Since being named sheriff by then-Governor Rick Scott in 2017, Chronister has been reelected twice, the second time in an uncontested election.

“I can tell you this Sheriff Chad Chronister will take DEA to the next level,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “He will keep people safe. He will directly attack fentanyl at its core…I know the DEA agents must be totally excited that a real cop is going to lead them.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke out on Monday in support of Chronister’s nomination, praising the sheriff for his support on a variety of political matters.

Chronister, along with 60 other Florida county sheriffs, previously endorsed DeSantis’ campaign for president in October 2023.

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However, while leaders in Florida’s law enforcement community seem to be rallying behind Chronister, the nomination is also drawing significant pushback from conservative circles, including longtime supporters of Trump’s MAGA movement.

The primary objection to Chronister’s appointment to the DEA seems to stem from his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hillsborough County.

In March 2020, Chronister made national news after ordering the arrest of Tampa area Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, who had continued to hold services at his church in defiance of COVID lockdown and social distancing orders. Howard-Browne, a controversial evangelist known for making appearances on InfoWars and preaching sermons about child sacrifices in Hollywood, had denounced the pandemic as a “phantom plague” designed to allow global elites to seize power.

Nevertheless, he argued that his congregation had complied with all safety regulations, providing hand sanitizer to attendees and following social distancing guidelines, as well as installing an expensive air filtration system in the church building.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the pastor “intentionally and repeatedly hosted church services with hundreds of members in attendance, despite knowing he was in violation of orders set in place by the President, the Governor of Florida, the CDC, and the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group.”

“I believe there is nothing more important than faith at a time like this, and as a Sheriff’s Office, we would never impede on someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort,” Chronister said at the time, “but practicing those beliefs has to be done safely.”

Howard-Browne was charged with two second-degree misdemeanors for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules, with Chronister saying that the pastor’s “reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger.”

Social media posts announcing the arrest are still visible on Chronister’s personal accounts as of this writing.

Several months later, in response to criticism from local Republicans, Chronister (who was up for reelection at the time) visited Howard-Browne’s home for a meal, where they discussed ongoing efforts to reopen the county. All charges against the pastor were dropped the following day after prosecutors determined that he posed no further risk to public health.

Now, years after the incident, Chronister’s involvement has become a point of contention for many within Trump’s base.

“I’m going to call ‘em like I see ‘em,” wrote Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie. “Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns.”

“It’s impossible to defend this,” said conservative YouTube personality Mike Cernovich. “He even bragged about it. The DEA has already shown itself to often act as a thug organization, focusing on low level users instead of the cartels. Arresting a pastor?! This man can’t be near more power.”

“This man’s nomination must be blocked. He was a tyrant during COVID,” wrote Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini, who sued Hillsborough County for its lockdowns and mask mandate. “I had to sue Hillsborough County to stop the insanity he created. We need a DEA director who believes in freedom.”

Notably, Howard-Browne himself has spoken out in defense of the sheriff, describing him as a “friend for many years” in a letter to President-elect Trump.

“One thing people forget about my arrest was major preachers in Tampa put pressure on [Sheriff Chronister] to shut me down! Some of them are on the video when he announced my arrest!” he said in an X post. “Those preachers have never apologized. As for many politicians pontificating about my arrest, none of them have ever called me.”

Just before Howard-Browne’s arrest, Chronister also announced that 165 “low-level, non-violent, pre-trial inmates” were to be released from county jails to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in detention facilities.

One of these inmates, 26-year-old Joseph Edward Williams, was a repeat offender with 35 prior charges and was awaiting trial for felony heroin possession. Less than 24 hours after his release, Williams shot and killed a man, then evaded police for nearly two weeks before being arrested.

Throughout the pandemic, Chronister lent his full support to lockdown measures and social distancing, even reminding those traveling by boat to maintain at least 50 feet between vessels.

He was also an early advocate for vaccination once the treatments became available in 2021, pushing law enforcement officers to take the shots without officially mandating it.

“Stop listening to the politicians. Start listening to the medical professionals and the scientists and get vaccinated,” Chronister said. “If you don’t want to do it for yourself do it for your coworkers, do it for your family and do it to stay alive.”

To accomplish this, he enacted a policy stating that “if you are unvaccinated and you have to quarantine or you get ill you have to use your own accrued time.  If you are vaccinated and you get sick, the sheriff’s office will cover your time off.”

Further criticism of Chronister has arisen over his participation in “woke” programs, including a push for diversity-based hiring at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He is also a frequent participant in Tampa area Pride Month festivities, becoming the first county sheriff to join the Annual Tampa Pride Diversity Parade in 2018.

But despite these objections, many Hillsborough County Republicans say the criticism is unfair, arguing that Chronister has learned and grown since the COVID era.

“I think what he was doing, what he felt was enforcing the laws at the time, is why he did what he did,” Hillsborough County Republican Committeewoman April Schiff said of Howard-Browne’s arrest. “He’s always been that way in doing what he thinks is the right thing to do under the law.”

Jake Hoffman, president of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, echoed this assessment, saying “Much of the criticism you’re witnessing online is in regard to actions taken by the Sheriff four years ago that the rest of the country is just learning about.”

“During that time, I was openly critical about all the COVID policies as well, and the Sheriff sat down with me for an hour-long recorded interview addressing much [sic] of the Republican community’s concerns,” he continued. “I believe the Sheriff learned from those experiences and will do a great job leading the DEA under President Trump.”

If confirmed by the Senate under the second Trump administration, Chronister will replace outgoing DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”

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