Trump: Senate Dem should resign
President says former VA nominee’s reputation ‘shattered’ by Tester
President Donald Trump called for a high-ranking Democratic senator 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 past week over accusations by colleagues that he improperly prescribed opioids, drank on the job, crashed a government car while drunk and fostered a hostile work environment at the White House, where he is physician to the president.
The accusations were compiled by a Senate committee and led to Jackson, 50, withdrawing even though he denied the charges. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate committee, said the accusations still needed investigating when they were released this past 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 called for Tester’s resignation in a series of tweets Saturday morning. “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,” Trump tweeted.
Tester responded Saturday, saying he has a duty to make sure veterans in his state get what they’ve earned.
“I’ll never stop fighting for them,” he added.
Tester, who is running for re-election, noted that the president has signed eight bills into law that Tester helped craft to improve veterans care.