Donald Trump has a bad habit of picking the worst people. Trump’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, admitted during his confirmation hearing that he wasn’t even sure what the Department of Energy does. Ben Carson first turned down any nomination to a federal department because he said he knew he was unqualified. At the very least, however, neither of them were under investigation or accused of criminal behavior.
Not so with Trump’s choice for promotion to two-star general, Ronny Jackson, who is most certainly under investigation and may have dispensed medications unlawfully. The Washington Post reports:
‘The White House sent Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson’s name for promotion consideration to the Senate on Jan. 15. He was serving as the president’s doctor last April when Trump nominated him for the VA post, and withdrew from consideration after accusations of mismanagement and misconduct as White House physician emerged.’
President Trump pushes for Dr. Ronny Jackson to receive a second star amid a Pentagon investigation over allegations of improper behavior https://t.co/PCaZ8CgmtV pic.twitter.com/jOjgiJoVCR
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 2, 2019
Jackson is most known for his rambling press conference confirming Trump’s superior physical and mental health, declaring that he could live up to the age of 200 if he watched his diet. After that blatant lie, Trump nominated him to the post of VA Secretary. That was quickly shot down when colleagues began reporting him for dispensing medications unlawfully, showing up to work drunk, and creating a hostile work environment.
‘A spokesman for the Defense Department Inspector General’s Office, Bruce Anderson, said that his office’s investigation into Jackson is still ongoing. The office, considered the Pentagon’s top watchdog, said in June that it had opened a case against Jackson, though it would not comment on the scope of it.’
An underrated moment of the Trump presidency was when Dr Ronny Jackson announced Trump had sat and passed the Montreal Cognitive Test and Trump said it was "no joke" and "not a lot of people could do that" and the test is literally "Name this animal". pic.twitter.com/X8SICGum9o
— Rabbie Sick Burns (@aboynamedposh) January 26, 2019
The Pentagon says it is still completing the investigation into these claims, but Trump has nominated Jackson for promotion to two-star general anyway. There is no word yet on whether the Pentagon intends to take Trump’s nomination seriously or will dismiss it until the investigation has been completed.
‘After Trump nominated Jackson for the VA secretary post last April, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the ranking member of the Veterans‘ Affairs Committee, released a two-page summary of accusations against him that included freely dispensing medication, drinking on the job and creating a hostile workplace. Some former colleagues said he was nicknamed the “Candyman” because of how he dispensed medications.’
The real Ronnie Jacksonhttps://t.co/uT1BOxrb2L
— Randy Tetzner (@Tetznoid) January 28, 2019
Trump has vehemently defended the doctor who spun wild tales about Trump’s “superior genes,” saying the accusations against him are unfair and politically motivated.
‘Ronny L. Jackson is one of the finest men I’ve ever met. Washington can be a very mean place. These were false accusations about a great man.’
Of course, Trump also says that Roger Stone is a fine man and that the accusations again him are false and politically motivated, so it’s rather difficult to consider that characterization from Trump.
Ronny Jackson is reportedly up for a “second star” while under investigation by the Defense Department Inspector General's Office https://t.co/3RdZmWBWau
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 2, 2019
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
