Senate Republicans said Tuesday they were waiting for the White House to decide what to do with embattled Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson, after President Trump sent strong signals that Jackson might soon withdraw.
Trump said at a White House press conference that he is leaving it up to Jackson whether he wants to remain the nominee, but said openly that he wondered whether it’s worthwhile, an apparent reference to new problems that have surfaced with Jackson’s background, including fostering a hostile work environment, improperly distributing drugs, and possibly drinking on the job. That prompted Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., to indefinitely postpone Jackson’s confirmation hearing that was planned for Wednesday.
That left Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., uncertain as to what happens next.
“I’m waiting to hear from both Chairman Isakson and the administration as to what they believe the way forward should be,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday. “And we’ll take our cues from them.”
The postponed hearing was already a strong signal that Jackson is in trouble, and Trump seemed to make it even more likely that Jackson might soon withdraw. Still, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., called Jackson’s nomination “damaged but resurrectable.”
Jackson himself indicated he might be gearing up for a fight. He told MSNBC earlier Tuesday, “I’m looking forward to the hearing, I was looking forward to doing it tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to getting it rescheduled and answering all the questions.”
But he’s facing questions from Republicans and Democrats alike. Isakson on Tuesday sent a letter to Trump asking for information about any allegations of “improper conduct” during Jackson’s tenure as White House physician.
“I’ve got a job as chairman to make sure he’s vetted and I’m going to do that,” Isakson told reporters Tuesday.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who sits on the Veterans Affairs panel, backed the decision to postpone Jackson’s hearing.
“We are looking through this,” Sullivan told the Washington Examiner. “Some of these allegations are unsubstantiated right now. Part of the confirmation process is to look at them seriously and that is what we’re doing.”
Democrats blamed the White House for not vetting Jackson before nominating him.
“People that know him or worked with him in the military or former military are willing to talk to investigators about him,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “Why wasn’t the White House doing that?”
“We had a nice conversation last night on a conference call,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. “We are trying everything we can to give him a fair shake. None of these indiscretions that people are saying now ever came up in any of the discussions. But this is part of it. They do a deep dive, and they should.”
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., agreed that Jackson’s nomination may have lacked a thorough screening.
“It’s pretty standard practice to do the background ahead of time before a nominee is sent up to the Hill,” Thune said. “Hopefully this current example is an exception, not the rule.”
Kimberly Leonard and Robert King contributed to this story.
