Exclusive | Trump used forceful hand to oust DEA pick after hearing concerns about his arrest of pastor

President-elect Donald Trump used a “forceful hand” to get his Drug Enforcement Agency pick to drop out on Tuesday after hearing “concerns” about his record, sources familiar told The Post — leading outgoing Rep.Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) to make a bid for the position.Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister issued a lengthy statement indicating he was withdrawing his name for the DEA slot — but did not reveal the specific reason he was dropping out of the confirmation process after just three days.“Everyone knows President Trump calls the shots,” a well-placed source spilled.

“The President heard the concerns about Sheriff Chronister and acted accordingly.”“It was the president’s forceful hand that led him to remove his name,” a second source said.Reps.

Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) had lambasted Chronister for having arrested Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for breaking lockdown mandates by holding worship services at his church.The second source disclosed that Trump, 78, “was very displeased with the revelations about his arrest of the pastor and some of his other actions that he took as a sheriff.” “Arresting pastors for trying to keep their churches open is a non-negotiable with the president, and that’s what the sheriff was accused of, and the president did not like that,” the source added.Chronister had also spoken about his arrest of the pastor at the time, tweeting that Howard-Browne “intentionally and repeatedly disregarded state and local public health orders, which put his congregation and our community in danger.”Those remarks about the arrest also did not please Trump, the second source said.Howard-Browne was charged with violation of public health emergency rules and unlawful assembly — but the offenses were later dropped.He languished in jail a day before paying a $500 bond.D’Esposito — who lost his re-election bid in November for New York’s Four...