Sara Carter, the former Fox News journalist nominated to serve as the nation’s top drug policy official, defended her credentials to skeptical Democratic lawmakers in a confirmation hearing Wednesday, arguing that her firsthand reporting experience qualifies her for a leading role combating drug trafficking and the overdose crisis.
“I’m not a doctor, I’m not a general, I’m not a lawyer,” Carter said during the hearing. “What I am was a more than two-decade investigative journalist who was on the ground, in the field, witnessing firsthand what these cartels and what these terrorist organizations have not only done to our nation and to the rest of the world, but to our children.”
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President Trump in March nominated Carter to serve as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, a role commonly referred to as “drug czar.” The office, while not a part of other federal agencies focused on drug use, plays a key role in managing federal spending and guiding policy on substance use, drug trafficking, and addiction medicine.
Carter’s nomination, however, is notable in that she has no prior government experience and no formal training or experience in law enforcement, medicine, or public health. She won multiple journalism awards early in her career, and in recent years has pivoted to right-wing reporting focused largely on drug trafficking and border security.
Beyond Fox News, Carter has spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference and is among the founders of Border911.com, a website associated with the nonprofit of Tom Homan, a conservative border security advocate now overseeing Trump’s attempts to carry out the largest mass deportation in American history. Carter began her remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee by paying tribute to Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist who was assassinated last week while speaking on a college campus in Utah.
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During the hearing, which also featured four nominees to become federal judges, Carter faced significant skepticism from Democratic senators who questioned her qualifications for the role. The drug czar position is typically held by longtime government officials, law enforcement agents, or, under President Biden, a physician.
“I want to note for the record that Ms. Carter-Bailey, who has been nominated to be director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, up until three months ago had never worked in this environment or in this space,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), referring to Carter by her married name. “Before three months ago, she had never even worked in government.”
Though she hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate, Carter is already working in the federal government as a special adviser and has given statements on behalf of the Trump administration. During the hearing and during a White House event last month honoring law enforcement, she referred to “a chemical war being waged against the American people,” casting drug cartels working to traffic drugs into the United States.
Her comments come in the wake of the Trump administration carrying out multiple strikes on boats coming from Venezuela after alleging they contained drugs and drug smugglers. Using the military to strike the boats and kill all aboard without a trial is seen by experts as a clear violation of international law.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee’s top Democrat, also came after Carter on the Trump administration’s proposed budget, which would cut the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas grant program, which bolsters law enforcement efforts in areas known to be frequented by drug smugglers and producers, by roughly one-third. Carter said she supported the grant program, but also supported Trump’s proposed budget.
“You want to take on [the drug crisis] for America, and you don’t have a background in this other than an interest for the subject,” Durbin said. “To entrust you with that responsibility when we’re cutting the budget for the HIDTA grants by 34% really gives a lot of us pause. I’m not sure why you were chosen: You’re articulate, but that doesn’t mean you’re expert enough to manage this job.”
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Carter’s confirmation still requires a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee and then a vote before the full Senate, neither of which has been scheduled.