Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson has withdrawn his nomination to be the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of the damaging allegations made against him. According to them, he created a toxic work environment, drunkenly wrecked a car and maintained poor prescription records while serving in the federal government.
“While I will forever be grateful for the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me by giving me this opportunity, I am regretfully withdrawing my nomination to be Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Jackson said in a statement.
He added, “The allegations against me are completely false and fabricated. If they had any merit, I would not have been selected, promoted and entrusted to serve in such a sensitive and important role as physician to three presidents over the past 12 years.”
Politico reported that the withdrawal was caused by the decision of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to postpone Jackson’s confirmation hearing indefinitely. Staffers on the committee were looking into charges against him of creating a “hostile work environment” including “excessive drinking on the job and improperly dispensing meds.”
Jackson currently serves as White House physician, a position he’s held for both President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush.
The White House had defended Jackson besides the allegations, which were detailed in a report released by the panel’s ranking member, Jon Tester, on Wednesday.
The committee announced the postponement of Jackson’s hearing and sent a letter to the administration asking for “any and all communications” between the White House and Defense Department about “allegations” on Jackson from 2006 to the present.
Senator Sherrod Brown, a committee member, has said that the number of people who came forward with the allegations against Jackson, detailed in the memo, was in the double digits.
Meanwhile, Jackson blamed the way “Washington works” for the failed nomination.
“Unfortunately, because of how Washington works, these false allegations have become a distraction for this President and the important issue we must be addressing – how we give the best care to our nation’s heroes,” he wrote.
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