Chad Chronister Withdraws as Trump’s Pick to Lead DEA

Sheriff Chad Chronister, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, withdrew his name from consideration for the office on Tuesday, only three days after he was nominated.

Sheriff Chronister, who is in charge of the sheriff’s department in the Florida county that is home to Tampa, announced his withdrawal in a message on social media, saying that as “the gravity of this very important responsibility set in,” he had changed his mind about accepting the nomination.

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

With 48 days still to go before Mr. Trump takes office, Sheriff Chronister is the second of Mr. Trump’s appointments to back out of a nomination. Last month, Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman, withdrew his name from consideration as attorney general after it became clear that he did not have enough votes to pass confirmation in the Senate amid allegations of sex trafficking and drug use. And a handful of other picks are facing potentially rocky paths in the Senate.

From the outset, Sheriff Chronister was a surprising choice to run the D.E.A., the nation’s top drug enforcement agency, which operates in more than 60 countries and oversees complex and diplomatically difficult investigations against Mexican drug cartels and Chinese money launderers.

While he had a 30-year background in local law enforcement, he had no experience in the geopolitical aspects of the drug war. Mr. Trump has arguably made that war more challenging by threatening to impose tariffs on Mexico and China if the countries do not stem the flow of drugs and immigrants into the United States.