VA nominee target of explosive allegations

WASHINGTON — White House physician Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, wrecked a government vehicle after getting drunk at a Secret Service going away party, according to an explosive list of allegations released Wednesday by the Democratic staff of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

In the two-page summary of interviews conducted by the minority staff, Jackson also stands accused of a “pattern” of handing out medications with no patient history, prescribing medications to himself, and contributing to a hostile work environment with “a constant fear of reprisal.”

According to the report: “Jackson was described as ‘the most unethical person I have ever worked with,’ ‘flat-out unethical,’ ‘explosive,’ ‘100 percent bad temper,’ ‘toxic,’ ‘abusive,’ ‘volatile,’ ‘incapable of not losing his temper,’ ‘the worst officer I have ever served with,’ ‘despicable,’ ‘dishonest,’ as having ‘screaming tantrums’ and “screaming fits,’ as someone who would ‘lose his mind over small things,’ ‘vindictive,’ ‘belittling,’ ‘the worse leader I’ve ever worked for.’”

It continued: “As Jackson gained power he became ‘intolerable.’ One physician said, ‘I have no faith in government that someone like Jackson could be end up at VA.’ A nurse stated, ‘this (working at WHMU) should have been the highlight of my military career but it was my worst assignment.’ Another stated that working at WHMU was the ‘worst experience of my life.’ ”

The document does not provide specifics on when some of the alleged incidents occurred and it presents a stark contrast to the stellar portrait offered by Jackson’s defenders, who have described allegations as a smear job.

Jackson, 50, a Navy rear admiral and former combat physician who served in Iraq, has been under fire for days amid questions about his qualifications to lead VA and allegations of his management practices at the White House Medical Unit.