Republicans confirm former Fox News contributor as the nation's new drug czar

Jan. 7, 2026, 9:49 AM EST
By Steve Benen


(MSNow) It’s become rather difficult to keep track of all the Fox News veterans who have joined Donald Trump’s team during his second term. A year ago, The New York Times published a tally and found 19 “former Fox News hosts, commentators, on-air medical experts, producers and other personnel” who had landed jobs in the Republican administration. Soon after, Media Matters published a revised total, putting the number at 20.

That list did not include Attorney General Pam Bondi, who briefly moonlighted as a guest host of a Fox News program while she was serving as Florida’s chief law enforcement official.

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Every previous head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy — the position generally known as the nation’s “drug czar” — had served in some kind of public office before taking the job, usually having worked in law enforcement, the military, public health agencies or some combination thereof.

Carter, however, covered the drug trade for Fox News for many years — and for Trump and 52 Senate Republicans, that was enough. (I’ve covered health care policy for many years, though I suspect GOP senators might balk if someone nominated me to serve as the secretary of health and human services.) ...................(more)

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fox-news-sara-carter-drug-czar-senate-confirmation