Ironically Senator Blumenthal is questioning Jackson’s military record. Blumenthal lied about serving in Vietnam.
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the top White House physician, is up for promotion to a two-star admiral – a step in his decorated military career that could be blocked because of the same allegations that sank his chances to be the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Democrats on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee released this week some of the accusations made against Jackson by 23 of his current and former coworkers in the White House Medical Unit. They portrayed Jackson as an unstable and power-hungry leader who drank on duty and freely handed out prescription medications.
Jackson denied the allegations, which have yet to be substantiated, but withdrew from consideration as VA secretary on Thursday. White House officials said he would return to the White House Medical Unit.
Now at least two lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee – responsible for approving promotions of senior military officers – are calling for the Defense Department to look into the allegations before they’ll consider Jackson’s promotion.
“The information that was brought to the attention of the Veterans Affairs Committee must be reviewed and addressed by the Department of Defense before the Armed Services Committee can consider the nomination,” said Chip Unruh, spokesman for Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services committee.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees, called for an inspector general investigation, multiple news outlets reported. He reportedly said the allegations “cannot be allowed to fester unaddressed.”[…]
Questions swirled this week about why the allegations – if true – weren’t revealed sooner. Jackson has been part of the White House Medical Unit since 2006 and worked as physician to the president since 2013, serving under President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama.
In an attempt to vindicate Jackson this week, the White House released his evaluations going back to 2013. Obama wrote glowing praises of Jackson, including one from 2016 that said, “Ronny’s positive impact cannot be overstated. He is a tremendous asset to the entire White House team.”