Trump's 24-Year-Old Deputy Drug Czar To Resign After Questions Over Work History

Nick Visser
Updated
Taylor Weyeneth, a controversial member of the Trump administration who came under scrutiny in early January over his lack of qualifications, will resign his post later this month, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening.

Taylor Weyeneth, a controversial member of the Trump administration who came under scrutiny in early January over his lack of qualifications, will resign his post later this month, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening.

“Mr. Weyeneth has decided to depart ... at the end of the month,” the White House said in a statement obtained by the Post. He had previously been reassigned to “administrative work” after questions arose about his background.

Weyeneth, a 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker, was appointed last year to be the deputy chief of staff at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or ONDCP, the agency tasked with coordinating federal drug-control efforts. However, as the Post originally reported, Weyeneth had nearly no previous experience after he graduated college in May 2016, aside from working for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and transition.

Questions quickly arose about his qualifications after multiple discrepancies popped up on several of his résumés and reports surfaced that another job he held at a New York law firm in 2015 ended after Weyeneth failed to show up for work.

He appeared to rise quickly at the ONDCP due to a high level of staff turnover and numerous vacancies at the agency. During the recent government shutdown, the Post noted, Weyeneth was one of three employees at the agency that continued to work after he was listed as essential.

News of his departure comes just a week after 10 Democratic senators expressed their displeasure with Weyeneth’s appointment. In a letter sent to the White House, the group accused Trump of failing to fill key roles at the ONDCP and the Drug Enforcement Agency and falling behind on promises to tackle the opioid epidemic.

“You have claimed that the opioid epidemic is a top priority for your administration, but the personnel you have staffing these key agencies – and the lack of nominees to head them – is cause for deep concern,” the group wrote. “This crisis knows no bounds, and we are committed to working across party lines with anyone who is serious about addressing this devastating epidemic.”

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.