A Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives has publicly come out against President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

The Washington Examiner reports that it is U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) who, to the surprise of many, has come out against Trump's pick.

In case you missed it, Trump nominated Florida’s Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister for the role. There will be more on Chronister in a moment.

I’m going to call ‘em like I see ‘em. Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns. https://t.co/pHSmGr81Tz

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 1, 2024

Massie objects

Massie came out against Trump's selection of Chronister in a message that he posted to his X account on Sunday.

The congressman wrote:

I’m going to call ‘em like I see ‘em. Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns.

The Examiner reports on the details of the situation.

Per the outlet:

Chronister held a press conference in March 2020 to announce that he’d arrested Dr. Ronald Howard-Browne, Pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, because he “intentionally and repeatedly disregarded state and local public health orders, which put his congregation and our community in danger.” His post is still live on X.

Indeed, the outlet even posted the message of Chronister announcing the arrest. You can see it for yourself here.

Trump's pitch

Trump himself has not, at the time of this writing, responded to Massie's objection to Chronister.

In his nomination message, Trump wrote:

I am pleased to nominate Sheriff Chad Chronister for Adminsitration of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). 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 . . . As DEA Adminsitrator, 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.

Not all Republicans are against Trump's nomination here. In fact, the Republicans, since Massie's objection, have circled the wagons around Chronister.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is among them.

He, for example, wrote:

@ChadChronister is an incredible pick to lead the DEA! When I appointed Chad as Hillsborough County Sheriff in 2017, he had already spent more than 20 years in law enforcement fighting every day to protect Florida families. His work over the last 7 years shows Chad’s dedication to cracking down on crime, fighting the fentanyl crisis, and showing up every day to keep Floridians safe. Ann and I could not be more proud of Chad and his wife, Nikki, for this amazing opportunity & know that he will bring the excellence of Florida’s law enforcement to the national stage at the DEA.