President-elect Trump is facing calls to replace his nominee to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, not from liberals, but from conservatives who say his pick is a “woke and weak Democrat.”

Trump nominated the Hillsborough County sheriff, Chad Chronister, as DEA administrator over the weekend. In his announcement, the president-elect said Mr. Chronister has “received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE.”

However, conservatives took to X to criticize the pick.

A conservative consultant, Spencer Rogers, wrote on X, “I have followed Chad Chronister’s career and people are asking me why he is a bad pick to be head of DEA. Conservatives here do not support Chronister. Chronister is a woke and weak Democrat plant and will backstab President Trump. He cannot be trusted!”

He shared a 2021 press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office highlighting Mr. Chronister’s decision to march in the Tampa Pride Diversity Parade, becoming the first sheriff in the county to do so. During his tenure, the sheriff’s office also created a so-called LGBTQ liaison position.

Mr. Rogers also noted the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office has focused on diversity as part of its recruitment efforts. 

In 2020, a pastor at Hillsborough County was arrested by the sheriff’s office for “ intentionally and repeatedly” holding church services with “hundreds of members in attendance” despite an order from the county telling residents to stay home except for “essential services” to help stop the spread of the Covid virus. Mr. Rogers pointed out that the pastor said he had spent $100,000 to upgrade the church’s air filtration system.

Mr. Chronister also has a history of donating to Democrats such as President Obama and the Democratic National Committee.

When it comes to the issue of tackling crime, Mr. Rogers called the sheriff “weak.” He noted that in 2020, an inmate, James Edward Williams, who had been arrested 35 times, was released from prison due to health concerns about the pandemic. Williams was convicted of misdemeanor charges and felony burglary. 

One day after he was released, a man was shot and killed, and authorities arrested Williams for the murder. Mr. Chronister said at the time, “There is no question Joseph Williams took advantage of this health emergency to commit crimes while he was out of jail awaiting resolution of a low-level, non-violent offense.”

Mr. Rogers also criticized the Hillsborough sheriff for his response to Black Lives Matter riots and for supporting so-called red flag policies to take an individual’s firearms if they were believed to be a threat. 

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not comment on the outrage about Mr. Chronister’s nomination. It directed The New York Sun to his comment calling the nomination the “honor of a lifetime.”

Representatives for Trump did not respond to a request for comment by the Sun by publication time. 

A conservative filmmaker, Lauren Witzke, shared Mr. Rogers’ post and called the nomination a “total catastrophe.” She urged Trump to “repeal this nomination and replace this psychopath.”

Another user said the president-elect “missed the mark with this one.”

A conservative radio host, Sam Stone, posted, “There are better sheriffs than this guy to head DEA. Got a couple of them right here in AZ to choose from. Plenty elsewhere. None of them would do any of this.”

Trump has received criticism for some of his nominations, but his supporters have typically been accepting of his picks. And polls have found that a majority of Americans approve of his handling of the transition.