Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister’s whirlwind week is not getting better, thanks to president-elect Donald Trump.

Over the weekend, Trump shared plans to tap Hillsborough County’s twice-elected sheriff to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Shortly afterwards, Chronister called the nomination the “honor of a lifetime” and said he was “deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation.”

After getting pushback from MAGA world, Chronister even went on the air with InfoWars contributor Rodney Howard-Browne to reiterate that everything was cool between him and the Tampa pastor, who he arrested in 2020 for violating pandemic shutdown orders.

Something changed after that, however, because less than 72 hours after getting the nod to lead the DEA, Chronister unexpectedly pulled his nomination.

“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,” wrote Chronister on Twitter. “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.”

There’s plenty of speculation about Chronister’s change of heart, but Trump—in a post criticizing the Wall Street Journal’s story about the development—attempted to take charge of the narrative by calling Hillsborough County’s seven-year sheriff a liar.

“…he didn’t pull out, I pulled him out because I did not like what he said to my pastors and other supporters,” Trump, a habitual liar, wrote on his Truth social.

Besides openly admitting that he isn’t vetting candidates for his administration, the president-elect also did not provide any proof or details on what Chronister may have said to his “pastors and other supporters.”

And for now, Chronister—whose father-in-law received a pardon from Trump in 2020—is not pushing back on the president-elect.

“Sheriff Chronister stands behind his decision to withdraw from consideration. Right now, his priority, as it has been for the last seven years, remains the mission to protect and serve everyone in Hillsborough County,” a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

Asked for clarity on whether or not the sheriff will push back on Trump’s claim, the spokesperson added, “Sheriff Chronister’s focus is on his responsibilities and commitment to Hillsborough County. He will not continue to perpetuate the political chatter around his previous decision.”

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