Dem report: Jackson drunkenly crashed government vehicle

Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson drunkenly wrecked a government vehicle, kept poor drug prescription records and oversaw a toxic work culture, according to a summary of interviews with nearly two dozen current and former colleagues released by Senate Democrats on Wednesday. The document amounts to the most detailed accounting of the allegations leveled against the White House physician, whose nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs is increasingly imperiled. Democratic staffers on the Veterans Affairs Committee interviewed 23 people who know Jackson, many of whom "raised serious questions about Jackson's temperament and ethics and cast doubt on his ability to lead the second largest agency in government," according to the document released by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). The documents' accusations fell into three separate areas: Prescribing practices, drunkenness and work culture. The summary is at time vague, in order to protect the identity of those interviewed, committee staff said. According to the report: — Jackson would dole out pills intended to aid sleep and wakefulness without prescriptions and did not track the drugs. He also kept "private stocks of controlled" substances, according to the Democratic report. He wrote himself prescriptions and made his colleagues in the White House medical unit "uncomfortable" over his prescription policies. — He oversaw a work environment where subordinates lived in "constant fear of reprisal." The document includes many negative descriptions of Jackson, including as "unethical" and "explosive," and paints a picture of someone who sucked up to superiors and kicked down to lower-level employees. "I have no faith in government that someone like Jackson could be end up at VA," a physician told the committee. — Jackson was drunk on duty overseas multiple times. He was supposed to be on call but on at least one occasion could not be reached. He also drunkenly wrecked a government vehicle at a going away party for a Secret Service member. Jackson denied that he wrecked a car on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Veterans Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said on Wednesday that Jackson will get a hearing and the White House is still strongly defending him. Many senators say they are waiting until the full committee completes its investigation of Jackson before criticizing him. "I don’t think somebody ought to have their career destroyed over anonymous accusations so that’s why I think the investigation is so important so we can find out what the facts are," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). "We can deal with the facts, whatever they are, but just to hound somebody out just because somebody can make an accusation is unfair." source: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/25/ronny-jackson-crash-government-car-553518 #Headlines by: Burgess Everett

Original Post: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/25/ronny-jackson-crash-government-car-553518