President Trump, who was speaking in the Rose Garden during a Take Your Kids to Work Day event, said of Dr. Ronny Jackson, “He’s a great man and he got treated very unfairly.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders thought she’d get some softball questions when she welcomed the children of White House reporters for Take Your Child To Wok Day.
But one enterprising boy – dressed in a bow tie – asked her if President Trump still trusted Dr. Ronny Jackson.
Sanders, after jokingly asking who the boy’s mom or dad was, said President Trump believes Ronny Jackson is a “great guy and a great doctor.”
Another kid asked Sanders why Trump fired James Comey. “He did some things that weren’t very nice,” Sanders explained, which gave Trump a “pretty good reason” to let him go.
President Trump welcomed a group of Wounded Warriors to the White House this morning, just hours after his pick to lead Veterans Affairs withdrew his nomination.
rump delivered remarks hailing the assembled vets and promising his administration would have their backs, but there was no mention of Dr. Ronny Jackson.
Trump did, however, make an offhand comment about asking for updates on his cabinet, asking his aides, “Who is doing the best?”
Sen. Jeff Flake said Dr. Ronny Jackson made the right decision to withdraw his name from the VA nomination.
But he added that there should have been better vetting of Jackson to begin with.
“Well it was certainly the right decision. He wasn’t gonna go anywhere. But I have to say there should have been better vetting done in the first place,” Sen. Flake told CNN.
Dr. Ronny Jackson is awaiting a promotion of his military rank, something that requires approval from the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senators are uncertain they will support that yet.?
Sen. Lindsey Graham said he’s sure there will be an investigation into the allegations and said, “While I’m fully prepared” to support him based on his career “I want to hear more about these allegations.”
Sen. Blumenthal said there needs to be a full inspector general investigation before there’s any promotion to two stars.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders noted earlier that Dr. Ronny Jackson is at the White House for?work?today.?
Separately, a second official said the plan is for Dr. Jackson to remain on as the White House physician as long as he is assigned here.?His assignment could change, of course, but?there is no immediate?plan for him to resign or retire.
This would mean that the allegations against him were serious enough to warrant him withdrawing his nomination, but not serious enough for him to resign.?
This morning, President Trump said Sen. Jon Tester, who led the congressional oversight on Dr. Ronny Jackson’s now-failed nomination to lead the VA, should have a “big price to pay in Montana.”
An official for the Tester campaign told CNN that the idea that the senator was going after Jackson to pick a fight with Trump is laughable and disagreed with Trump’s comments.
?“This isn’t political for him, it is about doing right by our veterans,” he said.
Jon Tester also released a statement following Jackson’s announcement that he has withdrawn his nomination:
The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest government agencies, charged with taking care of about 20 million veterans.
Jackson’s nomination was a major surprise, and many questioned whether or not he had the experience to run such a large department.
Speaking to Fox News this morning, President Trump acknowledged Jackson’s lack of experience, but added that no one has that experience.
“Nobody has the experience” to run the VA, Trump said. “It’s a big monster.”
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta says Dr. Ronny Jackson, who works in both the medical field and with the military, must adhere to a higher level of accountability — and the allegations made against him could put his job as a White House doctor at risk.
He continued: “If these things are true and there was dispensing of some of these controlled substances, not in a very ethical way, whatever it may be, that’s going to raise a lot of concern, obviously, for him to stay on even as the White House doctor.”?
Though he may no longer be Trump’s nominee to lead the VA, Dr. Ronny Jackson still has a job.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders said moments ago that he is at work today.
“Admiral Jackson is a doctor in the United States Navy assigned to the White House and is here at work today,” she said.
President Trump says Sen. Jon Tester — who led the congressional oversight on Dr. Ronny Jackson’s now-failed nomination to lead the VA — should have a “big price to pay in Montana.”
Tester is up for re-election in a state the President won by more than 20 points in 2016. The senator was the most public critic of Jackson, including interviews with CNN and NPR.
“I think this is going to cause him a lot of problems in his state,” Trump said on Fox News Thursday morning.
Earlier this week, Tester said Jackson was known as “the candy man” inside the White House, citing reports from individuals who raised concerns about his nomination.
Dr. Ronny Jackson has faced multiple accusations of misconduct over the course of his career.
Democratic staff on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee released a document last night that included a list of allegations from the committee’s conversations with nearly two dozen of Jackson’s former and current colleagues made Jackson’s chances at survival more uncertain.
Here’s what those allegations are, according to the summary released by Senate Democrats, the contents of which remain under investigation by lawmakers and have not yet been substantiated:
President Trump, speaking to Fox News this morning after Ronny Jackson’s withdrawal, said he has another person in mind for the top job at Veterans Affairs.
Though he didn’t go into detail, Trump said his next candidate is someone with “political capability.”
He did not expand on who that person may be.
President Trump called into Fox News this morning and said he was not surprised that Jackson withdrew.
Now that Dr. Ronny Jackson has withdrawn his nomination, the White House have has big problem on their hands: who to replace him with.
Several officials tell CNN there is no plan B. The reason David Shulkin lasted for so long when he was on the verge of being fired was because the White House couldn’t settle on a suitable replacement, until President Trump picked the White House physician on a whim.
Several names were floated previously — Pete Hegseth, Rick Perry — but there is no obvious choice here.?
They are right back where they started, one official says.?
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson just announced he has withdrawn as Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Here’s his full statement:
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson has withdrawn as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said in a statement Thursday morning.
His nomination was hampered by a flurry of allegations about Jackson’s professional conduct.
Officials tells CNN there will not be any announcements tonight about Dr. Ronny Jackson’s embattled nomination.
The official White House position remains that this is Jackson’s decision to make.
But as CNN reported earlier this evening, White House aides are preparing for the possibility that Jackson could ultimately withdraw.
Veteran Affairs secretary nominee Ronny Jackson just emerged from principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah’s office with press secretary Sarah Sanders, Shah and deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley.
Jackson told CNN, “Look forward to talking to you guys in the next few days”
Sanders said they were having a “debrief” on the meetings on the Hill.
A White House official said President Trump raised the prospect of going into the briefing room today to stick up for Dr. Ronny Jackson, simply to say he’s a good guy and he has his support. Several senior administration officials advised him against doing so, an official told CNN, including White House press secretary Sarah Sanders who urged him not to.
The president is increasingly questioning whether Jackson can survive the latest round of allegations “before things get worse,” an official said.
The White House was blindsided by the latest CNN reporting of the car accident and other allegations, the official said, and the president is astonished no one is coming to his defense — a sign he believes this is worse than he thought.
White House aides are preparing tonight for the possibility that Jackson may pull his nomination, and aides are openly discussing the possibility that Jackson could pull his nomination, two White House officials told CNN.
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told reporters today the allegations against Ronny Jackson are politically motivated.
He said Jackson, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, is honorable.
Asked whether he has spoken to Jackson about the allegations, Short said he has talked to him.
“But it appears these allegations were brought to senators and?so in some cases all of us are in the dark as to the allegations themselves,” Short said.
White House aides are preparing tonight for the possibility that Ronny Jackson may pull his nomination, and aides are openly discussing the possibility that Jackson could pull his nomination, two White House officials told CNN.
The new allegations caused new uncertainty about how Jackson’s nomination can move forward, the sources said. Aides late Wednesday afternoon began preparing for the possibility that Jackson might withdraw from consideration – though they said the decision remains Jackson’s.
Emerging from the White House press secretary’s office earlier on Wednesday, Jackson said he would continue to fight on – but his comments belied the increased skepticism about the fate of his nomination inside the White House.
The President has said the decision still remains Jackson’s, but one official conceded the raft of new allegations makes it harder for the White House to provide a defense.
White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah says the White House is “pushing ahead” with Dr. Ronny Jackson’s VA nomination.
Shah said Jackson has denied the most recent allegations that have been put forward and slammed a Democratic report detailing them as full of “anonymous sources.”
He added that the White House is “looking into them,” and that a recent FBI investigation “came back clean.”
A White House official says President met again today with Dr. Ronny Jackson, who was seen in West Wing for about an hour.
They met Tuesday as well.
Rep. Tim Walz, the ranking member of House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, called on Ronny Jackson to withdraw his nomination to be the Veterans Affairs secretary.
Walz said Jackson, who is Trump’s presidential physician, lacks the experience to run the massive agency.?
A document compiled by the?Democrats on the?Senate Veterans Affairs Committee lists a range of allegations detailed by 23 current and former colleagues by?Dr.?Ronny Jackson, President?Trump’s pick to lead the Veterans Affairs agency. Lawmakers have not yet substantiated these details and are investigating them further.
The?document lays out new allegations?about Jackson’s work as a White House physician, including that he loosely handled medication, was intoxicated on the job and that he fostered a toxic work environment with “abusive” behavior towards colleagues.
Among the most damaging allegations:
The allegations in the document are unsubstantiated, and members of the committee are working to learn more about the alleged incidents that have been relayed to them by Jackson’s former and current colleagues.
Two officials who worked closely with Ronny Jackson in the Obama administration said the nickname “The Candyman” has been misconstrued.
They told CNN Jackson was, in fact, called that name on occasion, but it was because of his friendly demeanor and people liked being around him.
The officials didn’t dispute that Jackson gave out sleeping aids, but only after asking routine medical questions.
Jackson would ask staffers how long they wanted to sleep and whether they had to get any work done on the flight. The prescriptions ranged from Ambien to non-prescription drugs like melatonin.
Six former Obama officials told CNN they were reluctant to speak on the record because they did not believe Jackson was qualified to lead the Veterans Affairs Department.
They believed he was a highly-qualified, dedicated and attentive physician, but lacked the management experience to run the massive government agency.
A former Obama official who traveled frequently with Jackson said “he had his detractors.”
“He was bossy. He was loud,” the official said. But this person said the portrait being painted of Jackson was inaccurate.
While Jackson was known to drink alcohol on trips, the officials said, he was also often seen not drinking in social situations.
The officials said they were never made aware of drunken incidents at the time, which have now been reported to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee by whistleblowers.
Dr. Ronny Jackson denied the allegation he wrecked a government car, and said he is staying in the nomination process.
“I never wrecked a car,” he told reporters, responding to a New York Times report that stated “the doctor got intoxicated and ‘wrecked a government vehicle.’”
“I have not wrecked a car. I can tell you that,” he added.
Asked if he was still moving forward, he said, “We’re still moving ahead as planned.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended VA Secretary nominee Ronny Jackson’s record as “impeccable” and suggested his position as White House doctor means he has been more thoroughly vetted than other Cabinet nominees.
“Dr. Jackson’s record as a White House physician has been impeccable,” Sanders said.?“Because he has worked within arm’s reach of three presidents, he has in fact received more vetting than most nominees.”
Sanders said Jackson has passed four background investigations, including a recent?FBI investigation that is part of the vetting process for Cabinet nominees. She said the investigations “revealed no areas of concern.”
Sanders did not say whether the most recent?FBI background investigation took place before or after Trump tapped?Jackson as the VA nominee.
Still, she insisted Jackson “a?very thorough investigation and vetting process has taken place.”
Republican Sen. Bob Corker said if the allegations against Trump’s VA pick, Ronny Jackson, are true, there should have been “better job” done when it came to vetting the nominee.
“He may be an outstanding individual, but I just don’t know anything about how — it looked like the process just kind of happened,” said Corker, who does not sit on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Corker isn’t the only Republican frustrated with the vetting process.
“I understand the President wants his people and we want to be deferential as much as we can, but it would be nice to know some of the issues that come up after the fact, before the fact,” said John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate’s No. 3 Republican.
Among Jackson’s allies — even within the West Wing — some have grumbled that Trump’s hurried decision to elevate him without extensive vetting has essentially let Jackson hang out to dry.
“He got totally hosed,” said one current White House aide, who said that a more thorough look at Jackson’s background before his nomination might have helped mitigate his problems.
Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said some of the sources who have come forward alleging misconduct against Ronny Jackson are credible.
He said the committee is investigating “more than 21 separate accounts.”
Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Johnny?Isakson?said Ronny Jackson, Trump’s pick to run the VA, deserves an “open, fair hearing.”
Lawmakers leading the Jackson’s confirmation announced on Tuesday that the hearings will be delayed indefinitely?following allegations related to improper conduct?in various stages of?Jackson’s?career.
However, Isakson said he wants to “get to the bottom of every claim that is made.”
Watch more:
Press secretary Sarah Sanders spoke with reporters outside the White House moments ago about allegations against Trump’s nominee to lead the VA.
“I’m not going to go line by line on every outrageous thing out there right now, but he certainly discussed them” with President Trump, Sanders told CNN.
Sanders also defended his experience calling him a “very highly qualified, highly respected person in the military and the medical community.”
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said Dr. Ronny Jackson “deserves his chance.”
Short said the White House will call for a hearing, and answered reporters’ questions about Jackson:
Short would not?say if Jackson offered to withdraw to Trump.
Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson said he’s not going to “take any position that would be prejudicial” on the allegations against Ronny Jackson, Trump’s pick to lead the VA.
Isakson’s comment came after CNN asked him if he believed these were credible allegations.
Isakson said he plans to still have an open hearing with the VA nominee. He wants to “get to the bottom of every claim that is made.” He would not call on Jackson to withdraw and said he still wants to give him a “fair hearing.”
The embattled nominee tapped to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs was known as “the candy man” inside the White House, Sen. Jon Tester said Tuesday, citing reports from individuals who raised concerns about his nomination.?
The Montana Democrat told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that around 20 people raised concerns to his committee about Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, and according to those people, Jackson would hand out prescriptions “like candy.”
Watch more:
The White House will request that Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson’s confirmation hearing be rescheduled, according to a White House official.
Earlier today, senators announced that the hearing will be delayed indefinitely,?following allegations related to improper conduct?in various stages of?Jackson’s?career.
Capitol Hill was once again flung into damage control mode Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats attempted to understand the severity of allegations being made against Ronny Jackson, the President’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The problem for many members on the Senate’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee is that the lack of vetting has become a pattern in the Trump administration.
Here ‘s what some members are saying:
Montana Sen. Jon Tester told NPR’s “All Things Considered”?that the allegations against Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson fall in three different areas:?
Tester described the prescriptions drugs as “the ones that make you want to sleep and then make you wake up.”
“These are basically doled out, and by the way, we had 20 military folks and retired military folks tell us these stories,” the Democrat said. “These were doled out on overseas trips where there’s a lot of time zone changes and were pretty much doled out you know?if somebody wants to go out, here’s a pill.”
Tester continued: “Once again, it was on travel, and he is the physician for the President and in the previous administration we were told stories.?He was repeatedly drunk while on duty where his main job was to take care of the most powerful man in the world. That’s not acceptable.”
Sen. Johnny Isakson, the chairman of the Senate’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, briefed Republicans on his panel in a telephone call over the weekend about some of the allegations that had surfaced against Ronny Jackson, according to one Republican.
Isakson of Georgia also informed them that he was considering delaying Jackson’s confirmation hearing in order to vet the allegations more thoroughly. On Tuesday morning, he announced the confirmation hearing – scheduled for Wednesday – had been delayed indefinitely.
Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican who was on the call, said Isakson had “received notice that there were unsubstantiated allegations being made, and he wanted the committee to know about it and in doing due diligence, he wanted the opportunity to let us know that he might be extending the time frame before we actually have the hearing.”
A 2012 Navy Medical Inspector General review of White House medical operations recommended the Navy “consider” replacing either Dr. Ronny Jackson or another military physician of equal rank, or both, according to an administration official who is directly knowledgeable about the report.
The six-page report was ordered as a review of White House medical operations when staffers reported low morale because of bickering between the two men who were both navy captains at the time.
The official emphasized the report only recommended the change in personnel be “considered,” but didn’t make it a mandatory order. It likely would have been up to the Obama White House to make a change if it wanted to, the official said. The two men did not apparently get along because they were of equal rank and struggled for control of the operation. The official said it became clear that “line of authority” needed to be established.
The report ended with a strong critique of the other doctor saying the medical staff believed?he was “irrevocably damaged his ability to effectively lead and serve.”
The report did not ultimately effect his promotion.
President Trump and Dr. Ronny Jackson met in the Oval Office, and he is not withdrawing as of now, a senior administration official said.
The official said the White House feels Jackson is being “railroaded” and will push back forcefully. The official added the President is also not wobbling.?
While Jackson didn’t withdraw in the meeting, his future remains unclear.
One White House official told CNN they expect it to be clarified tonight — one way or the other. And that, the official said, is up to Jackson.
A White House official said the White House will soon be putting out statements and letters from previous presidents and administration officials, pushing back on a day of stories against Jackson.
Veterans Affair secretary nominee Ronny Jackson met with President Trump in the Oval Office late this afternoon, a White House official said, as discussions are underway in the West Wing for Jackson’s next step.
Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican on the Veterans Affairs committee, met with Ronny Jackson on Tuesday and spoke to reporters afterward to say that Jackson was anxious to provide any answers he could in an effort to assuage concerns from Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers leading the confirmation announced earlier today that the hearings will be delayed indefinitely,?following allegations related to improper conduct?in various stages of?Jackson’s?career.
During his joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, President Donald Trump wanted to make two things very clear in regard to his embattled Veteran Affairs nominee, Ronny Jackson:
Jackson is a terrific guy, a great physician and everyone likes him and Trump is totally behind him.
Jackson needs to step aside.
Notice anything strange about those two messages? Yes – they are in total and complete contradiction! Congrats! What Trump was trying to do in his news conference with Macron was to have his cake and eat it too.
Before Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson was nominated to be the Veteran Affair secretary, he was President Trump’s physician.
The spotlight last landed on Jackson when he?fielded questions?from reporters at the White House on Trump’s physical in January. At the briefing, he said Trump’s health was “excellent” and dismissed questions regarding Trump’s mental fitness by saying he had “no concerns” in that area.
Although he has been serving in the Trump administration, Jackson’s time as White House physician carries over from previous presidencies:
President Donald Trump said Tuesday it is up to his embattled pick to lead the Veterans Affairs agency to determine whether he wants to continue his confirmation progress.
While affirming his support for Dr. Ronny Jackson, Trump conceded the one-time White House doctor faces major problems.
“He is a high-quality person. It’s totally his decision. So he’ll be making a decision. I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and too disgusting,” Trump said. “So, we’ll see what happens. He’ll make a decision.”
Trump spoke by phone with Jackson on Tuesday, two White House officials said, and told him it was up to him whether to withdraw.
“I told Admiral Jackson just a little while ago, what do you need this for? This is a vicious group of people,” the President said. “What do you need it for?”
Trump said if he was Jackson making the decision, he would step aside.
“If I were him, I wouldn’t do it,” Trump said.
Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told CNN that the FBI background investigation into Ronny Jackson is “clean.”
He said there are no issues of concern in Jackson’s background check.?
They are still inquiring about the complaints that have been made to the committee to see if they can be corroborated.
The White House is only allowing the committee chair and ranking member to review the FBI background check, according to a source familiar?with the situation.
The White House did know about the Ronny Jackson allegations prior to Monday.
Our source said Jackson was open and honest that there was a possibility disgruntled former employees would raise these allegations and had begun to prepare him for his hearing accordingly.
This source also said Jackson participated in five “murder boards,” or practice hearings, where aides pretend to be senators and grill him on. Jackson has two “sherpas” as well — staffers tasked with helping him through the confirmation process.
The focus now is on helping answer questions from Republican senators on the committee. The source acknowledges the White House knows Jackson will not get Democratic votes and so they are trying to keep the Republicans from bailing at this point.
Sen. Patty Murray, the second-most senior Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, blasted the White House vetting of Ronny Jackson and says the committee is looking into every allegation.
Murray would not say whether the White House should withdraw Jackson’s nomination.
“That is up to the White House but I will assure you that everyone of us as members of that committee are looking at every allegation and we have a responsibility to do so,” Murray said.
President Trump and his Veterans Affairs secretary nominee, Ronny Jackson, spoke earlier today by phone, two White House officials said.
The officials could not immediately confirm whether they spoke before or after Jackson said he looked forward to addressing concerns about him during his confirmation hearing.
Trump told Jackson it was up to him whether or not to withdraw his nomination, though he asked Jackson, “What do you need this for?” (Trump said something similar at a press conference this afternoon.)
One official, however,?did not believe a decision had yet been made on whether Jackson would withdraw his nomination.
Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Dr. Ronny Jackson told reporters that he looking forward to answering questions from lawmakers.
Lawmakers leading the confirmation announced earlier today that the hearings will be delayed indefinitely,?following allegations related to improper conduct?in various stages of?Jackson’s?career.
Jackson’s comments came on Capitol Hill as he left a meeting with Senate Veterans Affairs Committee member Jerry Moran.
Senate Veterans Affairs committee members are assessing allegations from whistleblowers that have told the committee about nominee Ronny Jackson’s questionable behavior including excessive drinking and a “toxic” work environment under his leadership, according to two former White House medical staff members who have spoken with the committee.?
Both sources who spoke with CNN told the committee about behavior they observed while working in the White House medical unit.
Lawmakers who spoke with CNN expressed worries that this could represent a pattern of behavior and not a collection of isolated incidents.
In addition, committee staff have been in contact with individuals associated with additional allegations regarding the handling of prescriptions by the White House Medical Unit and a workplace survey that was done because of issues in the unit under Jackson, according to congressional sources. The accounts come from former and at least one current associate of Jackson, according to the sources.
Lawmakers leading the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Tuesday morning that the hearings will be delayed indefinitely, following allegations related to improper conduct in various stages of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson’s career.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, made the announcement on Capitol Hill. The two committee leaders said they want more information about the allegations of misconduct involving Jackson.
They declined to discuss the nature of the allegations – and both men stopped short of calling on him to withdraw.