Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the longtime White House physician nominated to be the secretary of Veterans Affairs, prescribed “a large supply” or Percocet to a White House military office staffer, according to a summary of concerns compiled by the Democratic members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The two-page document summarizes three groups of accusations: prescription practices, hostile work environment, and drunkenness. The summary references conversations with 23 current and former colleagues of Jackson’s.
Among the newly revealed allegations is an account of Jackson drunkenly crashing a government vehicle at a Secret Service party.
Jackson denied this allegation on Wednesday evening as he walked past reporters and quipped that he is planning to move forward with the nomination.
NEW: Ronny Jackson tells reporters he never wrecked a car; said it should be pretty easy to prove; said he’s moving forward as planned.
— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) April 25, 2018
The White House has stood behind Jackson. Press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Wednesday during his time serving under three U.S. presidents, Jackson has undergone four background checks that came back clean.
“None of those things have come up in the four separate background investigations that have taken place,” Sanders said during the press briefing. “There’s been no area of concern that was raised for Dr. Jackson specifically.”
Among other concerns about Jackson listed on the document are more than a dozen quotes describing the hostile work environment created by the doctor.
According to the summary, his colleagues described him as “toxic,” “abusive,” “volatile,” and “the worst leader I have ever worked for.”
Jackson was slated to testify before the Senate committee on Wednesday, but the panel announced on Tuesday that the session would be postponed to allow members to investigate the allegations.
