Trump’s pick to head Veterans Affairs withdraws
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House doctor reluctantly withdrew his nomination to be Veterans Affairs secretary Thursday in the face of accusations of misconduct, the latest episode highlighting Trump’s struggles to fill key jobs.
The weeks-long saga over the nomination of navy Dr. Ronny Jackson leaves the U.S. government’s second-largest agency without a permanent leader while it faces an immediate crisis with its private health-care program. And it abruptly tarnished the reputation of a doctor beloved by two presidents and their staffs.
White House officials say they are taking a new look at the way nominees’ backgrounds are checked — and they believe they will persuade Trump to take additional time to ensure that a replacement is sufficiently vetted.
The leading person now under consideration for the post is former congressman Jeff Miller, who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee before retiring last year, according to White House officials.
Trump quickly selected Jackson, a rear admiral in the navy, to head Veterans Affairs last month after firing Obama appointee David Shulkin. 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 nine million veterans.
This week’s unconfirmed allegations by current and former colleagues about drunkenness and improper prescribing of controlled substances made the nomination all but unsalvageable.
“The allegations against me are completely false and fabricated,” Jackson said in a statement announcing his withdrawal.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Jackson was back at work at the White House on Thursday.