A new report shows that the White House was alerted last year about concerns surrounding outgoing physician to the president Ronny Jackson – and they did nothing.
According to CNN, “Vice President Mike Pence’s physician privately raised alarms within the White House last fall that President Donald Trump’s doctor may have violated federal privacy protections for a key patient — Pence’s wife, Karen — and intimidated the vice president’s doctor during angry confrontations over the episode.”
More from the CNN report:
The previously unreported incident is the first sign that serious concerns about Ronny Jackson’s conduct had reached the highest levels of the White House as far back as September — months before White House aides furiously defended Jackson’s professionalism, insisted he had been thoroughly vetted and argued allegations of misconduct amounted to unsubstantiated rumors.
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The episode — detailed in three memos by Pence’s physician — is also the first documentation that has surfaced involving a specific allegation of medical misconduct by Jackson. It adds to a series of significant allegations leveled by unidentified current and former colleagues, including that he casually dispensed prescription drugs.
Jackson and the White House have continued to deny allegations of misconduct, and Jackson’s defenders in the White House said Monday that the episode involving Mrs. Pence was simply a dispute between two doctors with a strained relationship and that he had acted appropriately.
The incident highlighted in the CNN report is just the latest in a series of damning allegations made against Jackson, including that he was drunk on the job.Â
The White House continues to stand by Jackson
Despite bipartisan concerns, as CNN pointed out, the White House continues to stand by Jackson even though he will not be returning as the president’s physician.
Instead of moving on and finding someone more qualified to run the VA, Trump has spent the past several days lashing out on Twitter about Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who helped shine a light on Jackson’s many red flags.
Secret Service has just informed me that Senator Jon Tester’s statements on Admiral Jackson are not true. There were no such findings. A horrible thing that we in D.C. must live with, just like phony Russian Collusion. Tester should lose race in Montana. Very dishonest and sick!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018
As Jason Easley pointed out last week, Trump’s nomination of Jackson – and, now, his continued support of the man – shows just how poor his judgment is.
His refusal to dismiss people, even after they are caught red-handed, also shows just how untethered to ethics this administration is.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
