Associated Press/Manuel Balce Ceneta
In a Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 file photo, White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson speaks to reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady press briefing room at the White House.
- New allegations of misconduct emerged Wednesday afternoon against Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician nominated to be the next secretary of Veterans Affairs.
- Jackson has been accused of providing "a large supply" of prescription opioids to a White House military office staffer and "wreck[ing] a government vehicle" while intoxicated at a Secret Service event, according to a new report compiled by Democratic Senate staffers.
- The White House is continuing to stand by Jackson, who said Wednesday that he will not withdraw from the nomination process.
Bombshell allegations emerged Wednesday afternoon about the conduct of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician nominated to be the next secretary of veterans affairs.
Among the allegations: that Jackson provided "a large supply" of prescription opioids to a White House military office staffer and that he "wrecked a government vehicle" while intoxicated at a Secret Service event.
The charges are detailed in a two-page summary of allegations made by 23 current and former colleagues of Jackson's. They were compiled by the Democratic staff of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Jackson denied the allegation that he "wrecked" the government vehicle, according to CNN, and said he would not withdraw himself from the nomination process.
CNN reported Tuesday on other allegations against Jackson, including that the doctor banged on the door of a female staffer's hotel room during an overseas trip in 2015. One source said the noise was loud enough that the Secret Service intervened out of concern that he would wake then-President Barack Obama.
A former staffer said the "middle of the night" incident made the woman uncomfortable and was "definitely inappropriate," CNN reported.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that Jackson had undergone at least four "very detailed and thorough background investigation[s]" during his time in the White House, and none of the probes, one of which was conducted by the FBI, found any issues of concern.
"None of those things have come up in the four separate background investigations that have taken place," Sanders said. "There's been no area of concern that was raised for Dr. Jackson specifically."
The White House is continuing to stand by Jackson, who drew national attention and criticism after performing Trump's first physical exam as president and later delivering a glowing report on Trump's health.
President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that should withdraw from the nomination process to protect himself from the "vicious" attacks on his reputation, and appeared to dismiss the allegations against his nominee.
Republicans are calling for a confirmation hearing, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday.
"I don't want to put a man through a process like this," Trump said, calling Jackson "a wonderful man." "The fact is I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians?"
"For us to hound somebody out just because somebody can make an accusation strikes me as unfair," Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, told The New York Times.