DEA administrator to step down from his post

— -- DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg is stepping down from his post, effective Oct. 1.

In a message emailed to employees announcing his departure, he thanked them for their “courage, integrity and devotion.”

“The neighborhoods in which we live are better for your commitment to the rule of law, dedication to the cause of justice, and perseverance in the face of adversity,” Rosenberg added.

Rosenberg rose through the ranks as a career Justice Department prosecutor and was eventually appointed by President George W. Bush to be U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2006 through 2008.

After leaving that prestigious post, Rosenberg spent five years of working in private practice. He was pressed back into government service in 2013 to be FBI Director James Comey’s chief of staff. In 2015, President Barak Obama appointed him to be DEA administrator.

The Justice Department is in the process of selecting a replacement for Rosenberg. A source familiar with the selection process told ABC News four people are being considered. New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes is considered to be the top choice. Others in the running include Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher and former State Department Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robert Charles.

The next DEA administrator will immediately have to grapple with the opioid crisis that has been declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump.