Tom Marino withdraws name from consideration as 'drug czar'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) is withdrawing his name from consideration to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
“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!” Trump said in a tweet.
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 president faced pressure from lawmakers to drop Marino from consideration after reports surfaced that the Pennsylvania Republican supported a law favoring drug companies over the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and its fight against America’s growing opioid epidemic.
The joint-investigation by The Washington Post and CBS’ “60 Minutes” said political action committees on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry contributed more than $1 million to politicians who “sponsored or co-sponsored” different versions of the bill, with Marino receiving “nearly $100,000.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), whose state has been hit hard with the disastrous effects of the opioid crisis, was a vocal critic of Trump’s potential pick, going so far as to write the president expressing his doubts.
“I urge you to withdraw the nomination of Congressman Tom Marino to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy … Congressman Marino no longer has my trust or that of the public that he will aggressively pursue the fight against opioid abuse,” Manchin wrote in a letter to Trump on Monday.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), echoed Manchin’s concerns, also calling for Trump to withdraw his nomination of Marino on Monday.
“Confirming Rep. Marino as our nation's drug czar is like putting the wolf in charge of the henhouse. The American people deserve someone totally committed to fighting the opioid crisis, not someone who has labored on behalf of the drug industry,” Schumer said.