Pentagon watchdog says former White House doctor harassed staff, drank recklessly on official trips



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Congressman Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor to Presidents Obama and Trump, “denigrated” subordinates and drank recklessly while traveling with the president, according to a new report released by the Pentagon on Wednesday. Jackson, a Rear Admiral, was originally chosen by Mr. Trump to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs – but his name was withdrawn following reports of his behavior while he held that post.

Wednesday’s report detailed inappropriate conduct involving alcohol in two incidents and said it fostered a negative work environment. The Department of Defense Inspector General opened the investigation into Jackson in May 2018 and interviewed 78 witnesses about Jackson’s conduct in the White House medical unit for the report.

Jackson, who now represents the 13th Congressional District of Texas, said in a statement that the report was politically motivated because he was on Mr. Trump’s side. He said he takes his “professional responsibility for prescription drug practices” seriously, adding: “I categorically reject any allegation that I have consumed alcohol while on duty.”

“I also categorically deny any implication that I was in any way sexually inappropriate at work, outside of work, or anywhere with any member of my staff or anyone else,” said Jackson. “It’s not me and what is alleged did not happen.”

The report says the two incidents involving inappropriate alcohol consumption occurred during presidential trips while Jackson was tasked with providing medical care and treatment to U.S. authorities.

During a presidential trip to Manila in 2014, Jackson was accused of making inappropriate comments about the anatomy of a subordinate and knocking on his hotel room door while he was drunk at the middle of the night saying “I need you”. When another subordinate came by to ask what he was doing, Jackson allegedly led the two subordinates to his room to take pictures of himself eating a local street food.

The subordinate said Jackson’s conduct was “frat boy-type behavior,” according to the report. When asked what she thought when he said, “I need you” on her doorstep, she said that a naval officer in Jackson’s place “shouldn’t knock on my door. carries drunk in the middle of the night telling me he “needs” me no matter why he needs me. “

The investigative report says Jackson used Ambien on long official flights and witnesses expressed concerns about Jackson’s potential inability to provide proper medical care.

The report concluded that Jackson’s general conduct towards his subordinates “denigrated them, belittled them, intimidated them and humiliated them.” Witnesses reportedly told investigators that Jackson called his subordinates names such as “idiots”, “lazy f ** kers” and “motherf ** kers”. Only four of his 60 former subordinates said they had not seen, seen or heard Jackson yelling, yelling, insulting or belittling his subordinates, according to the report.

After Jackson ended his medical service to the President in 2018, Mr. Trump appointed him Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Reports of his conduct as a physician led to his appointment being withdrawn. Jackson retired from the Navy in 2019 and won an open seat in the United States House of Representatives in Texas in 2020 following the retirement of Congressman Mac Thornberry.

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