BREAKING: Trump Drug Czar Nominee Withdraws After Revelations He Tried To Weaken The DEA

By Joe Cunningham | 9:05 AM on October 17, 2017

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*FILE – In this Sept. 23,* 2011 file photo, Rep. Thomas Marino, R-Pa., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is demanding that the White House withdraw the nomination of Marino to be the nation’s drug czar. Manchin says Marino played a key role in passing a bill weakening the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to stop companies from distributing opioids. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Representative Tom Marino has formally withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s Drug Czar, the President revealed on Twitter earlier this morning.

Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2017

The withdrawal comes after a joint Washington Post/60 Minutes investigation that revealed Marino worked with the drug lobby in trying to weaken the DEA’s ability to go after drug distributors. The scandal of the story stems from the fact that Marino was working with the drug lobby while opioid deaths were on the rise – leading to the full-on epidemic we as a nation are facing now.

Marino’s nomination was called into question by several Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

It is unclear who could replace Marino as a potential nominee, but it is hopefully someone who isn’t actively trying to cripple the government agency that is trying to enforce the nation’s drug laws.