Congressman Ronny Jackson, formerly the doctor in the White House to Presidents Obama and Trump, “dismantled” 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 initially led by Mr. Trump was chosen to be secretary of veterans’ affairs – but his name was drawn following reports of his behavior while in the role.
Wednesday’s report outlined inappropriate behavior regarding alcohol in two incidents, saying it promoted a negative work environment. The Department of Defense’s inspector general began investigating Jackson in May 2018 and questioned 78 witnesses about Jackson’s actions in the White House medical unit for the report.
Jackson, who now represents the 13th Congress District of Texas, said in a statement that the report was politically motivated because he, along with Mr. Trump stands. He said he took his “professional responsibility for the use of prescription drugs seriously”, adding: “I reject the allegation that I consumed alcohol while on duty.”
“I also absolutely deny the implication that I was sexually inappropriate in any way at work, outside of work or anywhere with any staff member or anyone else,” Jackson said. “It’s not me and what is alleged did not happen.”
The report states that the two incidents involving the inappropriate use of alcohol occurred during presidential trips while Jackson was in charge of providing medical care and treatment to U.S. officials.
During a presidential trip to Manila in 2014, Jackson is accused of making inappropriate remarks about the anatomy of a female subordinate and knocking on her door of the hotel room drunk in the middle of the night, saying, “I have need you. ” When another subordinate walked by to ask what he was doing, Jackson apparently led both subordinates to his room to take pictures of himself eating a local street food.
The female subordinate said according to the report that Jackson’s actions were ‘frat boy-type’ behavior. Asked what she was thinking when he allegedly said outside her door, “I need you,” she said a Navy officer in Jackson’s position “should not knock on my door in the middle of the night and for tells me he ‘needs’ me no matter what he needs me for.’
According to the investigation, Jackson used Ambien during long official flights and that witnesses expressed concern about Jackson’s possible inability to provide proper medical care.
The report concluded that Jackson’s overall actions towards subordinates ‘despised, belittled, bullied and humiliated’ them. Witnesses allegedly told investigators Jackson called subordinate names such as “idiots”, “lazy f ** kers” and “mother f ** kers”. Only four out of 60 of his former subordinates said they did not experience, see or hear subordinates shout, shout, swear or belittle, the report said.
After Jackson ended his service as a physician to the president in 2018, Mr. Trump nominates him as secretary of veterans’ affairs. Reports of his behavior as a doctor led to his appointment being withdrawn. Jackson retired from the Navy in 2019 and won an open U.S. seat of representatives in Texas in 2020 following the retirement of Congressman Mac Thornberry.