Admiral Ronny Jackson will not return to his role as President Donald Trump’s personal physician after withdrawing his nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs, according to a new report.
Instead, Sean Conley, a Navy officer who took over Jackson’s role as White House physician last month, will continue on in that role as a cloud of allegations hangs over Jackson, two senior administration officials told Politico.
Senator Jon Tester’s allegations that Jackson was known as ‘the candy man’ for handing out prescription drugs on presidential trips resulted in Jackson withdrawing his nomination on Thursday.
At a rally in Michigan on Saturday night, Trump branded the Democratic senator ‘disgraceful’ for derailing Jackson’s Veterans Affairs nomination and said he ‘knows things’ about him that that could scupper his bid for re-election.
Admiral Ronny Jackson reportedly will not return to his role as President Donald Trump’s personal physician after withdrawing his nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs
‘What Jon Tester said about this man is a disgrace. I have things I could say about Tester… and if I said them he wouldn’t be elected again,’ Trump told the rowdy rally at the Total Sports Park in Washington Township.
In a tweet Saturday afternoon Trump said Tester’s claims that Jackson was known as the ‘candy man’ among staff for passing out controlled substances on presidential trips was ‘very dishonest and sick’.
‘Secret Service has just informed me that Senator Jon Tester’s statements on Admiral Jackson are not true. There were no such findings,’ Trump tweeted. ‘A horrible thing that we in D.C. must live with, just like phony Russian Collusion. Tester should lose race in Montana.’
On Friday the White House said that internal records raise doubt about some of the most serious allegations leveled against White House doctor Jackson.
At a rally in Michigan on Saturday night, Trump branded Tester ‘disgraceful’ for derailing Jackson’s Veterans Affairs nomination (file photo)
Trump said in a tweet Saturday afternoon that Tester’s comments about Admiral Jackson are ‘very dishonest and sick’
The records also say the White House medical unit Jackson ran successfully passed regular controlled substance audits.
Jackson withdrew his nomination Thursday after allegations by current and former colleagues raised questions about his prescribing practices and leadership ability, including accusations of drunkenness on the job.
He released a statement calling the allegations against him 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,’ Jackson said.
‘Going into this process, I expected tough questions about how to best care for our veterans, but I did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity.’