Outgoing GOP congressman seeks role as Trump’s drug czar after first nominee falls through

Outgoing GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., is gunning to be the next leader of President-elect Donald Trump’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), after Trump’s first nominee withdrew his name from the running, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. 

D’Esposito has been working to consolidate support from regional law enforcement unions to support his bid, and he has been actively making calls to people in Trump’s orbit to get his name to the top, the source indicated, adding that D’Esposito has been “campaigning pretty hard for this.”

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Long Island Republican Reps. Nick LaLota, left, and Anthony D’Esposito speak to reporters outside the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., after George Santos was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1, 2023. (Photo: Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Trump nominated Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister for the role over the weekend, but Chronister withdrew his name from consideration on Tuesday. Chronister’s decision came amid criticism from Republicans over how he handled lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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After first being elected in 2022 to represent a Long Island congressional district that voted for President Biden in 2020, D’Esposito lost his bid for re-election last month to Democrat Laura Gillen.

On Wednesday, the Nassau County Detectives Association lobbied for Trump to nominate D’Esposito to be the next head of the DEA, which is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Trump’s next DEA chief would be his point man to help stem the massive flow of fentanyl making its way into the U.S.

Around $4 million worth of fentanyl was seized by the LAPD. (LAPD)

“As a respected member of Congress, D’Esposito has demonstrated leadership & commitment needed to help DJT in his goal of Making America Safe Again,” the group wrote on social media Wednesday.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Trump’s transition team to glean more details on where D’Esposito stands in terms of being named the next head of the DEA, but did not receive an on-the-record response by publication time.