Rep. Tom Marino had previously withdrawn from consideration for the role in May, citing a “critical illness” in the family. | Ben Jackson/Getty Images for SiriusXM Trump to tap Rep. Tom Marino as 'drug czar'

The White House announced Friday that President Donald Trump will nominate Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, a campaign supporter, to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a role commonly known as the “drug czar.”

Marino had previously withdrawn from consideration for the role in May, citing a “critical illness” in the family.


Marino, 65, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as an attorney for Middle District in Pennsylvania, a role he held from 2002 to 2005, before returning to private law practice.

In 2010 he defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Carney in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District and is now serving his third term.

Marino declared his support for Trump’s presidential candidacy in February 2016, which at the time made him the fifth Republican congressman to do so.

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Marino told POLITICO at the time that Trump was receiving “overwhelming support” in his district because “he’s the man for the unprotected ... not the protected, not for the Wall Street people, not for the DC insiders, but for the hard-working taxpayers.”

On May 3, Marino issued a statement after turning down the drug czar role: “Due to a critical illness in my family, I have, with regret and the utmost respect, informed the White House that I must withdraw my name from consideration for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. I thank the president for the enormous honor of considering me for this lead role in the effort to address one of the most pressing issues facing our nation and my state today: the opioid epidemic. I will remain in Congress and continue to support President Trump in whatever way I can.”