President Trump announced Tuesday that his nominee for drug czar, Rep. Tom Marino, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the position.
“Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter. “Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!”
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 announcement came following a joint investigation by CBS’ “60 Minutes” and The Washington Post on the opioid crisis.
The report found that Congress helped disarm the Drug Enforcement Administration during the height of the crisis. Marino, R-Pennsylvania, was the chief advocate for the 2016 bill at the center of the investigation.
The bill weakened the DEA’s control over opioid drug distributors.
Later Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump told Fox News Radio that Marino wanted to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest with drug and insurance companies.
“There was a couple of articles having to do with him and drug companies,” Mr. Trump said. “And I will tell you he felt compelled. He feels strong about the opioid problem and the drug problem, which is a worldwide problem, it’s a problem that we have. And Tom Marino said, ‘I’ll take a pass, I have no choice, I’ll really take a pass, I want to do it.’ He was very gracious, I have to say that.”
Minutes after Mr….