Panel lists claims against VA pick

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs secretary showed “a pattern” of questionable prescription drug practices and drunken behavior, including crashing a government vehicle while intoxicated and doling out a large supply of a prescription opioid to a White House military staff member, according to a summary of allegations compiled by Democratic staff of a Senate panel.

The two-page document fleshes out three categories of accusations — prescription drug misuse, hostile work environment and drunkenness — against Trump’s nominee, Dr. Ronny Jackson. It provides details based on the testimony of 23 current and former colleagues of Jackson, who has served as a White House physician since 2006.

The document says Jackson provided “a large supply” of Percocet, a prescription opioid, to a White House military office staff member, throwing his own medical staff “into a panic” when the medical unit could not account for the missing drugs. According to the summary, Jackson was nicknamed “Candyman” by White House staff members because he would provide prescriptions without paperwork and had his own private stock of controlled substances.

And at a Secret Service going away party, the document says, the doctor became intoxicated and “wrecked a government vehicle.”

Speaking to reporters Wednesday at the White House, Jackson denied allegations of bad behavior.

“I never wrecked a car,” he said. “I have no idea where that is coming from.”

He walked out a West Wing door and did not respond as reporters asked whether he was going to withdraw his nomination.

The new details came as White House officials on Wednesday ratcheted up their public defense of Jackson, calling the accusations of workplace misconduct leveled against him “outrageous” even as new ones surfaced.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters earlier in the afternoon that Jackson had been the subject of at least four background investigations, including by the FBI, during his time at the White House. None, she said, had turned up areas for concern, and Jackson had drawn praise from colleagues and presidents in each.

“He has received more vetting than most nominees,” Sanders said.

But when pressed, she said she could not comment on the credibility of specific charges.

“These are new,” she said. “I can only speak to some of the personal accounts that those of us have, as well as the records that we have that are substantiated through a very detailed and thorough background investigation process.”

Among those new accusations she did not address: During an overseas trip by President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015, Jackson went out drinking, returned to the delegation’s hotel and began banging on the door of a staff member’s hotel room, according to an account shared with the senior Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana.

The noise was so loud that members of the Secret Service went to see what was happening and warned Jackson to be quiet so he would not wake up the president, who was staying nearby, CNN reported.

The document prepared by the committee’s Democratic staff includes allegations that Jackson regularly distributed Ambien, a prescription sleep aid, to members of the White House staff and members of the news media flying on long overseas trips, as well as another prescription drug to promote wakefulness.

It says the committee was told that physicians working with Jackson “felt uncomfortable and refused to be a part of the loose dispensing of drugs to current and former” White House staff members. One former medical staff member described Jackson as a “kiss up, kick down boss,” who mistreated subordinates and created a hostile work environment.

Members of the Veterans Affairs Committee continue to investigate the claims.

Jackson had been scheduled to testify before the Senate committee Wednesday, but its top Republican and Democrat announced Tuesday that the session would be postponed to allow more time to investigate the claims.

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the committee’s chairman, said earlier Wednesday that he intended to hold a confirmation hearing for Jackson but would first need to receive documents that he and Tester requested on Jackson’s time at the White House. To speculate on the nominee’s fate before then, he said, would be unfair.

“He deserves a hearing, and he’s going to get it,” Isakson said.

The previous Veterans Affairs secretary, David Shulkin, was dismissed after an ethics scandal and mounting rebellion within the agency. But Jackson has faced numerous questions from lawmakers and veterans groups about whether he has the experience to manage the department of 360,000 employees serving 9 million veterans.

Allegations began surfacing late last week involving Jackson’s workplace practices, including claims of inappropriate behavior and overprescribing of prescription drugs, according to two aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.

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