President Trump called for a high ranking Democratic lawmaker to resign Saturday morning after reports that at least one accusation made about Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson,…
President Trump called for a high ranking Democratic lawmaker to resign Saturday morning after reports that at least one accusation made about Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, which cost him a bid to lead Veterans Affairs, could be untrue.
Jackson’s nomination lasted less than a month as he came under harsh criticism, first for a lack of management experience, and then this week, for accusations by colleagues that he improperly dished out opioids, drank on the job, crashed a government car while drunk and fostered a hostile work environment at the White House medical office where he is physician to the president.
The accusations were compiled by a Senate committee and led to Jackson, 50, withdrawing from consideration even though he denied the charges. Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate committee, said the accusations still needed investigating when they were released this week.
The White House defended Jackson and on Friday said there were no records of at least one of the allegations – that Jackson crashed a government vehicle while drinking.
Trump continued to back Jackson on Saturday morning and called for Tester’s resignation in a series of tweets.
“Allegations made by Senator Jon Tester against Admiral/Doctor Ron Jackson are proving false,” Trump wrote. “The Secret Service is unable to confirm (in fact they deny) any of the phony Democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful Jackson family. Tester should resign.”
He continued, saying Tester’s constituents in Montana wouldn’t stand for “this kind of slander” and that Jackson is a good man whose reputation “has been shattered.”
Jackson started as a White House doctor in 2006, was promoted to director of the White House Medical Unit in 2011 and became the physician to the president in 2013.
The White House on Friday told reporters that officials searched numerous government databases to vet whether Jackson was involved in any crashes. Raj Shah, a deputy White House press secretary, told The New York Times that Jackson was involved in three episodes but none mirrored the drunken crash outlined by Tester.
The crash was only one of many made by colleagues.
Doctors reported being uncomfortable with his loose prescribing practices, which included dispensing drugs to former White House staff “and, at times, their family members,” the Senate investigation found after speaking to 23 current and former co-workers.
Some colleagues called Jackson “candy man” for his practices with prescribing, a summary released by Tester’s office said.
His current and former colleagues described multiple instances of Jackson getting drunk on duty. “On at least one occasion, Dr. Jackson could not be reached when needed because he was passed out drunk in his hotel room,” the summary said.
The report said Jackson also fostered a hostile workplace, broke into “screaming tantrums,” was “vindictive” and became “intolerable” as he climbed the ranks.
Contributing: Donovan Slack
Follow Christal Hayes on Twitter: Journo_Christal.
