Adm. Ronny Jackson
withdraws his nomination to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs, citing the “distraction” from “completely false and fabricated” allegations.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs, Ronny Jackson, withdrew Thursday in the wake of late-surfacing allegations about overprescribing drugs and poor leadership while serving as a top White House doctor, saying the “false allegations” against him have become a distraction.
In a statement the White House issued from Jackson, he said he “did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity.”
Shortly after Jackson dropped out, President Donald Trump called into the “Fox & Friends” morning show to praise Jackson as an “incredible man” who “runs a fantastic operation.”
Now under consideration for the VA secretary post is former Rep. Jeff Miller, who previously chaired the House Veterans Affairs committee, according to two White House officials who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Trump said Jackson had a “beautiful record” and that there was no proof of the allegations and criticizing the top Democrat on a Senate panel who was investigating the allegations.
“I think Jon Tester has a big price to pay,” Trump said.
The president declined to say who he may nominate next.
Asked whether Jackson will remain on the job as White House doctor, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “Admiral Jackson is a doctor in the United States Navy assigned to the White House and is here at work today.”
Trump selected Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy, to head the VA last month after abruptly firing former Obama administration official David Shulkin following an ethics scandal and mounting rebellion within the agency.
But Jackson, a surprise choice who has worked as a White House physician since 2006, faced immediate questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers as well as veterans groups about whether he had the experience to manage the massive department of 360,000 employees serving 9 million veterans.
Jackson also faced a series of accusations about his workplace conduct.
The latest blow to his nomination to lead the government’s second-largest Cabinet agency came Wednesday with a set of accusations compiled by Tester’s Democratic staff on the committee considering his nomination.
The committee’s Republican chairman, Sen. Johnny Isakson, said he respected Jackson’s decision and “will work with the administration to see to it we get a VA secretary for our veterans and their families.”
In just a matter of days, the allegations transformed Jackson’s reputation as a celebrated doctor attending the president to an embattled nominee accused of drinking on the job and over-prescribing drugs.
Veterans groups expressed dismay over the continuing uncertainty at the VA, pointing to a potentially faulty vetting process by the White House.
Veterans are “exhausted by the unnecessary and seemingly never-ending drama,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “VA’s reputation is damaged, staff is demoralized, momentum is stalled and the future is shockingly unclear.”