Trump's DEA pick withdraws amid backlash for woke past



Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister withdrew his bid to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday after becoming the subject of intense criticism for his past COVID enforcement and progressive policies.

Chronister withdrew just days after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to head the DEA on Sunday. Within just a few days, it was uncovered that Chronister had bragged about arresting a local pastor for violating COVID regulations by hosting church services, released 165 inmates due to social-distancing regulations, withheld paid sick leave for deputies who were unvaccinated, encouraged social distancing on boats, and even celebrated Pride Month.

'Next time politicians lose their ever-lovin minds, he can redeem himself by following the Constitution.'

"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 said in a Tuesday post on X. "Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I've concluded that I must respectfully withdraw consideration."

"There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling," Chronister continued. "I sincerely appreciate the nomination, outpouring of support by the American people, and look forward to continuing my service as Sheriff of Hillsborough County."

Chronister was met with backlash from prominent voices in the days after his nomination, most notably from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

"I’m going to call 'em like I see 'em," Massie said in a Sunday post on X following the nomination. "Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest of a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns."

"This sheriff ordered the arrest of a pastor for holding services during the COVID panic," Massie said in a Tuesday post on X in response to the withdrawal. "He was tapped by Trump to head the DEA. Glad to see him withdraw from consideration. Next time politicians lose their ever-lovin minds, he can redeem himself by following the Constitution."

Chronister is now the second Trump nominee to have withdrawn from their respective bids. Less than two weeks after his nomination in November, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida dropped his bid for attorney general, claiming that he had become a political distraction for the Trump transition team.

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Trump's DEA pick raises red flags: 'Disqualifying'



President-elect Trump nominated Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister on Sunday to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, prompting backlash from several Republicans.

Chronister was criticized for his handling of the COVID pandemic, which Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) called "disqualifying." Most notably, Chronister boasted at the time about arresting a local pastor who "intentionally and repeatedly disregarded" state and local COVID regulations by holding church services.

Chronister has also come under fire for celebrating Pride Month, releasing 165 inmates due to social distancing regulations, encouraging social distancing on boats, and even withholding paid sick leave for deputies who were unvaccinated.

"I’m going to call 'em like I see 'em," Massie said in a Sunday post on X. "Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns."

"Trump’s pick for DEA head, Chad Chronister, arrested pastors during COVID and let criminals out of jail," Liz Wheeler, host of "The Liz Wheeler Show" on BlazeTV, said in a Sunday post on X. "Mr. President, please withdraw his nomination. The last thing we need in federal law enforcement is a stupid power abuser."

Chad Chronister is a COVID tyrant who arrested a Christian pastor for holding church in person during the pandemic.

Chronister held a press conference bragging about the arrest.

Chronister abused his power; he’s unfit to lead the DEA.

Trump should withdraw his nomination. pic.twitter.com/8jXtoPIX8q
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) December 1, 2024

Chronister has also come under fire for celebrating Pride Month, releasing 165 inmates due to social distancing regulations, encouraging social distancing on boats, and even withholding paid sick leave for deputies who were unvaccinated.

"Trump’s pick for DEA head Chad Chronister withheld taxpayer money from unvaccinated deputies if they got sick," Wheeler said in a Sunday post on X. "He gave taxpayer money to vaxxed deputies. Despicable."

"Please, Pres. Trump, withdraw this nomination," Wheeler continued. "The last thing we need in federal law enforcement is more tyranny."

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‘Scamdemic: How Fraudsters Cashed In On Billions’ available NOW for BlazeTV subscribers



Remember when our government shut the economy down, ordered us into quarantine, and demanded we all get vaccinated, stay 6 feet away from each other, and mask up?

Remember how every single one of those “protections” from COVID-19 failed miserably?

But those policies weren't the only government initiatives that backslid.

The Paycheck Protection Program was yet another federal plan intended to help Americans — in this case, help businesses stay afloat amid the shutdown.

But like every other measure it took to “protect” us, PPP loans ended up only contributing to the catastrophic mess that was the COVID-19 pandemic.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Scammers sniffed out an opportunity to exploit the system, and exploit it they did.

Overnight, $200 billion dollars disappeared in what is perhaps the greatest fiscal failure in the history of the nation.

And the money didn’t go to businesses, either. It went to "jewelry, exotic cars, first class tickets, fancy restaurants, and trips to South Beach,” says BlazeTV's Alex Stein (@PrimeTimeAlexStein), who traveled across the country to find out how these scammers were able to pull off such gross fraudulence as he spoke with experts like Peter Schiff, Rep. Thomas Massie, and even a former FBI agent.

Join the Pimp on a Blimp TODAY as he dives into the murky world of PPP loans to find our lost money. You can find “Scamdemic: How Fraudsters Cashed In On Billions” on BlazeTV. If you’re not already a subscriber, go to blazetv.com and use promo code SCAMDEMIC for a seven-day free trial plus $30 off an annual subscription.

Kibbe: Tim Walz's COVID authoritarianism killed George Floyd



Matt Kibbe and his wife had lived safely and peacefully on Capitol Hill for over 20 years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Then everything changed.

- YouTube youtu.be

YouTube has censored this video by labeling it 18+. Watch it here.

Upon the numerous declarations of mayors and governors ordering civilians to quarantine themselves at home, Kibbe “headed straight out to buy thick plywood to board [his] windows and new security bars to reinforce [his] doors.”

Obviously such “draconian precautions” would do nothing to keep the virus out, so what was he so afraid of?

“Riots, looting, and violence,” he says, which indeed ravaged the country during the early stages of the pandemic.

“George Floyd lost his job at Conga Latin Bistro when Governor Tim Walz locked down the Minnesota economy, prohibiting bars and restaurants from serving customers.”

— (@)

Just a few weeks later, Floyd was killed, and the chaos that would torch cities across the nation began.

“Unchecked power can take away your livelihood. Unchecked power can kill,” Kibbe says, making the point that George Floyd’s blood isn’t just on the hands of a cop but also on those of Tim Walz whose shutting down of the economy laid the groundwork for Floyd’s death.

It’s been four years, and the government has yet to answer for the egregious crimes it committed in the name of COVID-19. But stagnating the economy is just one of the atrocities it must answer for. There are also the matters of unconstitutional censorship, vaccine coercion, mask mandates, and gain-of-function research that demand answers.

Kibbe has been on a mission since the outbreak to expose COVID lies and solve its long list of mysteries. In his docuseries “The Coverup,” he takes you along with him as he meets with some of the true experts who were silenced during the pandemic for their refusal to comply with the approved narrative — people like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University and an author of the Great Barrington Declaration. He also meets with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the only senator who’s remained relentless in his pursuit of answers — especially when it comes to COVID’s number-one wolf in sheep’s clothing: Anthony Fauci.

If you haven’t already, check out episode 1 (available for free on YouTube) before watching episode 2 on BlazeTV. If you aren’t already a subscriber to BlazeTV+ join today and get $30 off your first year of BlazeTV+ with code FAUCILIED.

NJ gym owner who defied COVID lockdowns WINS legal battle; ALL CHARGES DROPPED



When New Jersey gym owners Ian Smith and Frank Trumbetti defied the Garden State’s COVID-19 regulations by keeping their gym open, the pair were ordered to pay around $165,000 in fines for violating public health emergency rules.

After an almost four-year legal battle, Smith has been cleared of more than 80 charges.

These charges were “thrown at us really to scare us into shutting down,” Smith tells Sara Gonzales. “When that didn’t work, Governor Murphy took those municipal charges as well as a health department shutdown order and went before a judge in New Jersey.”

Murphy asked for a court order to close Smith’s business, which Smith explains is “where a lot of the really tangible, very scary punishments came in.”

“We were being fined $15,497.76 per day for every day that we were in operation. The state took upwards of $200,000 from our bank account,” he explains.

“We had one member arrested, my former co-partner and I were arrested, we had our doors forcibly locked by the sheriff’s department.”

When Smith refused to comply and opened the doors, the sheriff’s department came to lock them again. So they took the doors off the hinges and stayed inside to protest for over a month.

“They arrested us, they held us in criminal and civil contempt at court, so there was a five-year prison sentence hanging over our head at one point from this court order,” he tells Gonzales, who says “it’s making my blood boil all over again just listening to you.”

While it’s been a rough journey for Smith, he’s finally free of those looming charges.

“They were just writing these, they were firing off the hip. They didn’t expect people to push back, and they just panicked. And you know, these people are not used to people wagging a finger in their face and saying no, so they never wanted to touch these cases because nobody wants to put their name on it, because they know it’s unconstitutional,” Smith explains.

“The judge finally had enough, she said, ‘I can’t put these gentlemen through this any longer,’ and you know, she was very clear that this was going to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the state can’t revisit these charges.”


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