Trending
Trump says Drug czar nominee pulls his name from consideration
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. Tom Marino, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s drug czar, has withdrawn from consideration following reports that he played a key role in weakening the federal government’s authority to stop companies from distributing opioids.
“He didn’t want to have even the perception of a conflict of interest with drug companies or, frankly, insurance companies,” Trump told Fox News Radio in an interview Tuesday, shortly after breaking the news on Twitter.
The announcement follows reports by The Washington Post and CBS News, which detailed the Pennsylvania lawmaker’s involvement in crafting a 2016 law, signed by President Barack Obama, that weakened the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to curb opioid distribution.
It also comes amid growing pressure on Trump to fulfill his pledge to declare the nation’s opioid epidemic a “national emergency,” as a commission he’s convened on the subject has urged him to do. Trump said Monday that he would be making “a major announcement” on the topic next week.
Interviewed by Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade, Trump said Marino “felt compelled” to step down from the job.