{"id":2375858,"date":"2024-12-04T01:17:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T06:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-pastor-released-criminals\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T01:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T06:21:09","slug":"trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-pastor-released-criminals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-pastor-released-criminals\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Woke DEA Pick Arrested Pastor, Released Criminals"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-pastor-released-criminals%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2375858&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the controversial selection of Chad Chronister as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) administrator by President-elect Donald Trump. Chronister, who is currently the sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, has faced criticism for his past actions, which include arresting\u200c Pastor Dr.Rodney Howard-Browne for holding a church service during\u2063 COVID lockdowns.Chronister defended this arrest by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-hampshire-liquor-stores-to-sell-cannabis-under-new-legalization-plan\/\" title=\"New Hampshire Liquor Stores to Sell Cannabis Under New Legalization Plan\">citing public safety concerns<\/a>,claiming it\u2064 endangered lives.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the article highlights \u2063Chronister&#8217;s decision \u2064to release over 160 low-level inmates from jail as a pandemic measure, of which a number were re-arrested shortly after thier release. Critics also point to his stated policies during the \u200cpandemic that differentiated leave benefits based on \u2064vaccination status, which \u200dsome view as discriminatory.<\/p>\n<p>The piece argues that while Trump has\u200b made notable appointments in his \u200cmanagement, selecting Chronister for such a significant role raises concerns about his capacity to \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">effectively manage drug enforcement efforts<\/a>, \u2063especially given\u2062 his actions deemed overly authoritative or inconsistent with public\u200d safety protections during his tenure as sheriff.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wphf10nMjug\">  10 Tampa Bay\/ YouTube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-christian-pastor-released-criminals-penalized-unvaccinated-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Woke%20DEA%20Pick%20Arrested%20Christian%20Pastor,%20Released%20Criminals,%20Penalized%20Unvaccinated%20Employees&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-christian-pastor-released-criminals-penalized-unvaccinated-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Woke%20DEA%20Pick%20Arrested%20Christian%20Pastor,%20Released%20Criminals,%20Penalized%20Unvaccinated%20Employees&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-christian-pastor-released-criminals-penalized-unvaccinated-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-christian-pastor-released-criminals-penalized-unvaccinated-employees\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Woke%20DEA%20Pick%20Arrested%20Christian%20Pastor,%20Released%20Criminals,%20Penalized%20Unvaccinated%20Employees&amp;body=Chad%20Chronister%20doesn't%20belong%20anywhere%20near%20a%20position%20of%20power.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/trumps-woke-dea-pick-arrested-christian-pastor-released-criminals-penalized-unvaccinated-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>President-elect Donald Trump has made several impressive picks to help carry out his America First agenda, like Kash Patel for FBI director, Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, and Tom Homan as &ldquo;border czar.&rdquo; But his pick for Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) administrator, Chad Chronister, doesn&rsquo;t belong anywhere near a position of power.<\/p>\n<p>Chronister currently serves as sheriff in Hillsborough County, Florida, and Trump says Chronister will work to &ldquo;secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3175badaaf12fcedd165d687c6802693 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3175badaaf12fcedd165d687c6802693\"><\/div>\n<p>But surely Trump could&rsquo;ve chosen a candidate who didn&rsquo;t throw a Christian pastor in jail, release criminals, or threaten the unvaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>Under Chronister&rsquo;s leadership, Tampa Bay Pastor Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/03\/30\/us\/florida-pastor-arrested-river-church\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested<\/a> for *checks notes* holding a church service. The county had directed people to stay in their homes except when engaging with &ldquo;essential services&rdquo;, which did not include church.<\/p>\n<p>Howard-Browne defied the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-founding-fathers-6-prophetic-warnings-that-are-coming-true\/\" title=\"The Founding Fathers: 6 Prophetic Warnings That Are Coming True\">draconian lockdown orders<\/a> and was promptly arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office on two second-degree misdemeanors for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules. Chronister said Howard-Browne&rsquo;s &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Charges were eventually dropped against Howard-Browne, and Howard-Browne even endorsed Chronister&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/rhowardbrowne\/status\/1863060254398837022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nomination<\/a>. But the damage had already been done. Chronister was all too eager to lock up a pastor for exercising his constitutional right to worship while turning a blind eye to <em>actual<\/em> threats to public safety.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7bd1cc3cd96f6473bb9298ed593a0da8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7bd1cc3cd96f6473bb9298ed593a0da8\"><\/div>\n<p>Chronister <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChadChronister\/status\/1240585434805276673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">let over 160 &ldquo;low-level, non-violent&rdquo; criminals out of jail<\/a> to &ldquo;protect&rdquo; people from Covid-19. Within a month of being released, 15 of them had been arrested again on new charges, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/crime\/2020\/04\/20\/what-happened-to-the-rest-of-the-164-people-hillsborough-freed-from-jail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to the Tampa Bay Times.<\/p>\n<p>As if that weren&rsquo;t enough, Chronister turned authoritarian during the pandemic, openly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfla.com\/community\/health\/coronavirus\/stop-listening-to-social-media-sheriff-chad-chronister-encourages-people-to-get-vaccinated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vowing<\/a> to discriminate against unvaccinated employees using taxpayer funds!<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I put out a policy a while ago that if you are unvaccinated and you have to quarantine or you get ill you have to use your own accrued time,&rdquo; the king &mdash; I mean, Chronister &mdash; threatened employees. &ldquo;If you are vaccinated and you get sick the sheriff&rsquo;s office will cover your time off.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Chronister also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfla.com\/news\/hillsborough-county\/hillsborough-county-sheriff-releases-message-ahead-of-floridas-newest-immigration-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refused to take seriously<\/a> a statewide immigration law, Senate Bill 1718, that seeks to crack down on illegal immigration by including consequences for individuals who transport illegals and for employers who hire illegal immigrants. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b1ef439a632bdc42cdd4454e7f7fbd18 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b1ef439a632bdc42cdd4454e7f7fbd18\"><\/div>\n<p>Chronister rushed to social media to gush about the &ldquo;rich diversity&rdquo; of Hillsborough County and let the public know his goal is to &ldquo;foster strong partnerships with all residents regardless of background.&rdquo; He said that his office would not &ldquo;target individuals based on their immigration status&rdquo; since, according to Chronister, immigration enforcement is the job of &ldquo;federal agencies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump needs a leader who prioritizes American safety <em>and <\/em>constitutional rights &mdash; not someone who is willing to sacrifice one or both at the expense of his constituents. At a time when the nation faces real throughs from an open border and illegal drugs and crime, the DEA must be led by someone who has the tenacity to do what&rsquo;s right at all times even if it&rsquo;s unpopular  and Chronister has proven he&rsquo;d rather just do what&rsquo;s politically expedient.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-38ca76a78ef31d318565cb0714c4f471 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-38ca76a78ef31d318565cb0714c4f471\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/border-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">border security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/chad-chronister\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Chad Chronister<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/covid-pandemic\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Covid pandemic<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/covid-19\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Covid-19<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dea\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DEA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drug-enforcement-agency\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Drug Enforcement Agency<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/illegal-immigration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Illegal Immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Kash Patel<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tom-homan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Tom Homan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/vaccination\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">vaccination<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/vaccination-requirement\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">vaccination requirement<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President-elect Donald Trump has made notable selections for his America First agenda, including Kash Patel as FBI director and Pete Hegseth as defense secretary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2375859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-02-at-6.44.01-PM-e1733183135156-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[46045,7953,3634],"class_list":["post-2375858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arrested-pastor","tag-dea","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-02-at-6.44.01-PM-e1733183135156-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375858"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375862,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375858\/revisions\/2375862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}