Congressman Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor of Presidents Obama and Trump, “despised” subordinates and drank recklessly while traveling with the president, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Pentagon. Jackson, a rear admiral, was initially chosen by Trump as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but his name was withdrawn after reports of his behavior while playing the role.
Wednesday’s report detailed alcohol-related misconduct in two incidents and said it had favored a negative work environment. The Department of Defense inspector general began the investigation into Jackson in May 2018 and interviewed 78 witnesses about Jackson’s conduct in the White House Medical Unit to obtain the report.
Jackson, who now represents the 13th district of the Texas Congress, said in a statement that the report had political motivation because he was on Mr. Trump’s side. He said he takes his “professional responsibility for prescription drug practices seriously”, adding: “I reject any allegations that I consumed alcohol while on duty.”
“I also negatively deny any involvement that was in any way sexually inappropriate at work, outside of work, or anywhere with any member of my staff or anyone else,” Jackson said. “It’s not me and that’s not supposed to happen.”
The report indicates that the two incidents related to alcohol abuse occurred during the presidential trip 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 comments about the anatomy of a female subordinate and knocking on the door of the hotel room while he was drunk in the middle of the night saying “I need you.” When another subordinate happened to ask him what he was doing, Jackson allegedly took the two subordinates to his room to take pictures eating a local street food.
According to the report, the subordinate said Jackson’s behavior was “frat-boy-like behavior.” When asked what he thought when he allegedly said “I need you” in front of his door, he said a Navy officer in Jackson’s position “shouldn’t knock on the door drunk at midnight telling me that I need you no matter what you need me for. “
The investigation report said Jackson used Ambien during long official flights and witnesses raised concerns about Jackson’s potential inability to provide adequate medical care.
The report concluded that Jackson’s general conduct toward subordinates “despised, belittled, intimidated, and humiliated them.” Witnesses allegedly told investigators that Jackson called subordinate names “idiots,” “lazy sloths,” and “mother cadres.” Only four out of 60 of his former subordinates said they did not experience, see or hear Jackson shout, yell, curse or belittle subordinates, according to the report.
After Jackson ended his medical career as president in 2018, Trump appointed him secretary of veteran affairs. Reports of his conduct as a physician led to the withdrawal of his appointment. Jackson retired from the Navy in 2019 and won an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas in 2020 following the retirement of Rep. Mac Thornberry.