WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump's pick to be the nation's drug czar withdrew from consideration Tuesday after news reports focused attention on his role in weakening the government's power to combat the nation's opioid epidemic.
Trump sent a message on Twitter Tuesday morning announcing that Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) had withdrawn his name from consideration.
Trump said Monday that "we're going to be looking into" the actions of Marino, who was one of Trump's early boosters in Pennsylvania, a key state.
As a member of Congress, Marino sponsored legislation that passed with virtually no debate last year which has significantly hindered the ability of the Drug Enforcement Administration to block bulk shipments of opioid drugs from pharmacy wholesalers. Out-sized shipments of the drugs to specific pharmacies are often sign of drug mills that are fueling addiction, drug enforcement officials say.
The legislation, and Marino's role in pushing it, were the subject of a Los Angeles Times article last year. The topic got renewed attention this week after a report in the Washington Post and CBS' 60 Minutes, which detailed how major drug distribution companies had hired former DEA officials to help craft the legislation and then had pushed it through Congress.
Some members of Congress have now said they will push to reverse Marino's bill.
