Ronny Jackson won't be Trump's physician - report
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, having withdrawn his nomination to be veterans affairs secretary, will not be resuming his duties as personal physician to President Trump, Politico reported Sunday, citing a White House official. Jackson will still be part of the White House medical unit, but Sean Conley, who was elevated to the position when Jackson was initially nominated, will now continue to be Mr. Trump's personal doctor, according to Politico.
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Sen. Jon Tester, of Montana, last week released a list of allegations against Jackson that included excessive drinking on the job, overprescribing medications including ambien, provigil and percocet, and overseeing a hostile work environment.
Besides the accusations against him, some lawmakers had yet to be convinced that Jackson had the experience necessary to run a bureaucracy like the VA.
Over the weekend, President Trump called on Tester to resign, declaring that the allegations against Tester were untrue. Tester faces a challenging re-election campaign in November, and Mr. Trump threatened over the weekend, that he "know[s] some things about Tester that I can say, too."
The White House on Monday denied reports of any shakeup to the White House medical unit. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement that Jackson is "currently on active duty, assigned to the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President."
Shah added, "Despite published reports, there are no personnel announcements at this time."
Jackson has denied the allegations against him.