Politics

Trump’s Drug Czar Nominee Withdraws After Exposé

(Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Marino withdrew his name from consideration as drug czar Tuesday following a report that revealed he was involved with legislation that benefited drug distributors.

“Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar,” President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday about his pick for head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!”

The Washington Post and “60 Minutes” collaborated on a report released Sunday that Marino lead an effort to pass legislation that reduced the Drug Enforcement Agency’s ability to target drug distribution companies that send millions of pills to so-called rogue pharmacies.

“The drug industry, the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and chain drugstores, have an influence over Congress that has never been seen before,” Joseph Rannazzisi, a former DEA official, told The Washington Post. “I mean, to get Congress to pass a bill to protect their interests in the height of an opioid epidemic just shows me how much influence they have.”

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Alex Pfeiffer