Jackson, Trump’s VA Nominee, Faces Claims of Overprescription and Hostile Work Environment

WASHINGTON — The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is examining allegations that President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department oversaw a hostile work environment as the White House physician and allowed the overprescribing of drugs, according to congressional officials briefed on the committee’s work.

They have also received claims that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson drank too much on the job.

The allegations, which have been under investigation since last week, forced the postponement of Jackson’s confirmation hearing, planned for this Wednesday as senators scrutinize the nominee’s time leading the White House medical staff. Officials familiar with the allegations against Jackson declined to offer precise details but said that they suggest a pattern of behavior, not just one or two isolated incidents.

The committee did not announce a new date for the hearing.

“The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is postponing the hearing to consider the nominee to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in light of new information presented to the committee,” said Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the committee chairman, and Jon Tester of Montana, its ranking Democrat, in a joint statement which did not detail the allegations.

“We take very seriously our constitutional duty to thoroughly and carefully vet each nominee sent to the Senate for confirmation,” they added. “We will continue looking into these serious allegations and have requested additional information from the White House to enable the committee to conduct a full review.”

In a letter to the president, both senators requested “any and all communication” between the Defense Department, the White House Military Office and the White House medical unit “regarding allegations or incidents” involving Jackson back to 2006.

“I have very serious questions that need to be addressed, and they should be addressed right now, like today,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the committee.

Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy who serves as the White House physician, was already expected to face difficult questioning during his testimony before the committee. Last month, Trump fired his first Veterans Affairs secretary, David J. Shulkin, an experienced hospital administrator and veteran of the VA medical system, and then chose Jackson largely out of personal affinity.

The White House did little or no vetting of his background before announcing his nomination on Twitter. Before serving as a White House physician, Jackson had deployed as an emergency medicine physician to Taqaddum, Iraq, during the Iraq War.

The Senate only received paperwork from the Trump administration formalizing Jackson’s nomination last week.

“It has been really careless, maybe even negligent about the vetting in a number of these nominations,” Blumenthal said.

Senators were keeping the details of their investigation under wraps but let it be known that the allegations are serious. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said she had heard enough from colleagues to have “deep concerns” about the nomination. “This is concerning even for a very ethically challenging White House,” she said.

Asked if he still supported the nominee, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader, offered only, “We’re going to wait and see what Sen. Isakson and the administration recommend.”

Committee Democrats met briefly Monday evening to discuss how to proceed. Tester is leading the investigation.

Tester met with Isakson Tuesday morning shortly before announcing the postponement.

The White House defended Jackson’s record in a statement, but did not address the nature of the claims against him.

“Admiral Jackson has been on the front lines of deadly combat and saved the lives of many others in service to this country. He’s served as the physician to three Presidents — Republican and Democrat — and been praised by them all,” said Hogan Gidley, a deputy White House press secretary. “Admiral Jackson’s record of strong, decisive leadership is exactly what’s needed at the V.A. to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they deserve.”

Lawmakers were already preparing to press Jackson on his views on the role of private medical care for veterans, instead of the department’s government-run health care system. Senators planned to challenge his lack of management experience running a large organization. The department is the federal government’s second largest, employing more than 370,000 people and operating sprawling health and veterans benefits systems.

Before his nomination, Jackson had garnered little public attention and his policy views were unknown. He took a rare turn in the spotlight in January, when he appeared on national television to announce the results of Trump’s first physical while in office. At the time, there was speculation over the president’s physical and mental health, and Jackson offered effusive compliments on both. Trump was pleased with the performance. “I’ve found no reason whatsoever to think the president has any issues whatsoever with his thought processes,” Jackson said. At one point, he even quipped that given Trump’s genetics, he might live to 200 years old if he had a healthier diet.

Trump fired his first Veterans Affairs secretary amid deep ideological disagreements over privatization of care at the department and extended fallout from a scathing report by its inspector general about a trip that Shulkin had taken last year to Britain and Denmark. Shulkin, a politically moderate physician and former hospital executive, remained well-liked on Capitol Hill and among veterans groups, who felt he was a pragmatic leader who understood the department intimately.