Kellyanne Conway To Lead Fight Against Opioid Addiction

WASHINGTON, DC — Kellyanne Conway, President Trump's former campaign manager, will lead the White House's efforts to address the nation's opioid epidemic, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday.

Sessions called Conway "exceedingly talented" in his press conference discussing the administration's new efforts. Conway has a background in political commentary and polling, and no experience working in public health. She has recently come under fire by ethics experts for potentially flouting the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from participating in political campaigns, after suggesting that voters shouldn't support Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones.

Since Trump was inaugurated, Conway has served in the White House as a counselor to the president.

The opioid crisis was a significant issue in the 2016 president campaign, as the growing numbers of deaths tied to the drugs and an increasingly addicted populace drew national attention. About 64,000 Americans are believed to have died from drug overdoses in the United States, a large number of them linked to opioids.

One opioid policy expert, Andrew Kolodny of Brandeis University, praised the selection of Conway in the new roll to BuzzFeed News.

"It is a positive sign, she is a high profile figure in the administration, showing the administration takes this seriously," he said.

Meanwhile, other key positions remain unfilled. No one has yet been named to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Also See: DEA Taking Aim At Opioids With Kentucky Field Office

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images