MSNBC host Rachel Maddow remarked on the “weird” decision by the White House to deny physician Ronny Jackson was ever the subject of a medical inspector general report, only to share evidence of one later in the day.
“They said it doesn’t exist and then they gave it to reporters. That was weird,” Maddow said during her program Tuesday evening.
She went on to explain how the report from 2012 is “not good” and read some excerpts.
“I don’t know why they sent this around if they were trying to save Dr. Jackson’s nomination,” she said.
Why the heck did the White House send around this 2012 inspector general report on Ronny Jackson if they were trying to defend him?? pic.twitter.com/Br95jnS30t
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) April 25, 2018
Jackson, a rear admiral, is President Trump’s nominee to be Veterans Affairs secretary, but his nomination has hit a snag as allegations of have surfaced about him drinking while on the job and improperly handing out medication.
A senior White House official pushed back on an Associated Press report Jackson had once been recommended for removal from his position in the West Wing, and blamed his current troubles on “a bitter ex-colleague.”
“He has improved unit morale, received glowing reviews and promotions under Republican and Democrat presidents, and has been given a clean vet from the FBI,” the official said, adding that Jackson “has never been the subject of an Inspector General review.”
However, the same official shared copies of a 2012 assessment by former President Barack Obama’s medical inspector general that focused on both former White House physician Jeffrey Kuhlman and Jackson.
Trump met Tuesday evening with Jackson in the Oval Office, and is so far standing behind his nominee.
