Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday afternoon that he will not be launching a campaign for president in 2024 after carefully considering the matter.

“It is simplest and most accurate to say that this decision is personal,” Pompeo said in a statement. “The time is not right for me and my family. At each stage of my public service — as a soldier, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as your Secretary of State, I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to advance America in a way that fit the time and the moment.”

“This is not that time or that moment for me to seek elected office again,” he added.

Pompeo said that he and his wife Susan concluded after much prayer that for the time being, they “can best serve in roles we’ve been in before — as parents, Sunday school teachers, community leaders, and business leaders.”

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“To those of you this announcement disappoints, my apologies. And to those of you this thrills, know that I’m 59 years-old,” he concluded. “There remain many more opportunities for which the timing might be more fitting as presidential leadership becomes even more necessary.”

Pompeo told Fox News host Bret Baier that former President Donald Trump did not factor into his decision to not seek the White House at this time.

“Frankly, this race, I hope, isn’t about people,” Pompeo said. “I hope it’s about these ideas.”

Pompeo did not give any indication on whether he will make an endorsement during the Republican Party primary.

“We will see how it plays out,” he said. “It’s not about any one person. I want to find that person who can not only talk about the things that matter to every family in America, but who can actually build an organization, create a team, and deliver that for the American people. That’s what matters to me.”

“And when I figure out who that right person is, I will — like I have always done in my life, I will get behind them and do everything I can to help them,” he said.

Pompeo confirmed that he might endorse another candidate instead of the former president.

When asked about Trump’s repeated attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and whether any Republican candidate can beat Trump, Pompeo responded: “I think the American people will sort this out.”

“I think Americans are thirsting for people making arguments, not just tweets. I think they’re looking for someone who can clearly articulate their vision for what parents ought to be doing to help their kids be successful in schools and how we take back crime from our streets and cities,” he said. “I don’t know if that will end up being President Trump that the American people choose, or if that’s who our party will choose to be its nominee.”

The Department of Justice issued indictments Friday against dozens of alleged drug traffickers with ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, including the three sons of former Sinaloa head Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.

The indictments charge 28 people with crimes ranging from drug trafficking to machine gun possession to money laundering. None of the defendants are located in the United States; 23 are based in Mexico, four are based in China, and one is based in Guatemala.

“Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world — run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement. “Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. Today’s actions demonstrate the comprehensive approach the Justice Department is taking to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and save American lives.”

The Guzman sons are high-up leaders in the Sinaloa organization, arguably the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. One of the men, Ovidio Guzmán, also known as “el raton,” was arrested by Mexican authorities in January during an assault on a Sinaloa stronghold. Twenty-nine people died in the operation.

The Department of Treasury announced sanctions targeting fentanyl trafficking as well on Friday. The department slapped sanctions on two Chinese entities and five people based in China and Guatemala with sanctions in a crackdown on fentanyl precursor manufacturing and selling.

“Illicit fentanyl is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. “Treasury, as part of the whole-of-government effort to respond to this crisis, will continue to vigorously apply our tools to prevent the transfer of precursor chemicals and machinery necessary to produce this drug.”

In fiscal year 2022, Customs and Border Protection confiscated over 50,000 pounds of fentanyl from attempted drug traffickers and others. Drug smuggling over the border is spiking amid an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration that has continued to escalate over the past two years.

Most of the fentanyl made in Mexico is manufactured from precursor chemicals shipped in from China. Chinese drug makers sell the precursors to cartels and drug labs in Mexico. The chemicals are then made into fentanyl and typically crafted into pills that resemble other, legal drugs, such as OxyContin.

The Biden administration’s crackdown on the drug trade over the U.S. southern border comes as Republicans have been calling for stiffer resistance to cartels operating south of the U.S. border. Some lawmakers have suggested the cartels be declared terrorist organizations and said they warrant a response from the U.S. military.