Former White House Physician Ronny Jackson says the charges raised against him in a brand new Inspector General report are totally bogus. The Pentagon Rear Admiral who served as an aide to both Obama and Trump may be a little intolerant of slacking workers but he denies the accusations of drinking on the job.
The charges could get expensive
A controversial inspector general report wasn’t officially supposed to be released until Wednesday but someone leaked an advance copy to CNN on Tuesday.
The IG for the Department of Defense has been probing the former White House Doctor and current Texas Congressman since 2018 for rumors that “date back to his time serving during the Obama and Trump administrations.” Jackson is fighting back hard because if the charges end up sticking, they could cost him beaucoup bucks.
In the wake of the IG report charges, Jackson could be facing a review by the Navy of his retirement pay. “Officer retirement pay is based on the most senior rank at which a person served honorably.
If the report findings validated less than honorable behavior, Jackson could have his retirement pay reduced.” He believes he’s being persecuted for his support of President Trump.
“Democrats are using this report to repeat and rehash untrue attacks on my integrity,” Jackson firmly asserts. “I’m proud of the work environment I fostered under three different Presidents of both parties.”
He also takes his “professional responsibility with respect to prescription drug practices seriously.” He also wants to “flat out reject any allegation that I consumed alcohol while on duty.” He’s convinced the charges will be reversed.
Sex and Drugs on White House business
The DOD watchdog tore into Jackson with charges “that he made “sexual and denigrating” comments about a female subordinate, violated the policy for drinking alcohol while on a presidential trip and took prescription-strength sleeping medication that prompted concerns from his colleagues about his ability to provide proper care.”
Plus he was a terrible manager. Now he represents Texas for the Red team in Congress.
Jackson was put under the microscope after Vanity Fair wrote a scathing article about him where they called him the “candy man” and accused the White House physician of “doling out pills” to White House staff.
Jackson calls all the scandalous charges “politically motivated.” The inspector general “resurrected” previous allegations against him because he refused to “turn my back on President Trump.”
After talking to 78 Pentagon staffers, CNN says “his explosive temper and reports of him creating a hostile work environment are throughout the report.”
According to the charges, an “overwhelming majority of witnesses” told investigators that they “personally experienced, saw, or heard about him yelling, screaming, cursing, or belittling subordinates.”
Meltdowns and sex abuse
“Many of these witnesses described RDML Jackson’s behavior with words and phrases such as ‘meltdowns,’ ‘yells’ for no reason,’ ‘rages,’ ‘tantrums,’ ‘lashes out,’ and ‘aggressive.'”
They also level charges against his leadership style “with terms such as ‘tyrant,’ ‘dictator,’ ‘control freak,’ ‘hallmarks of fear and intimidation,’ ‘crappy manager,’ and ‘not a leader at all,'”
Then there are charges which stem from a 2014 trip to Manila with Barack Obama. “A witness interviewed by the IG said that shortly after arriving in Manila, Jackson began drinking in the hotel lobby, then got into a car with a drink in his hand ‘to go out on the town.'”
Another witness said “he could smell alcohol on Jackson’s breath later that evening. Back at the hotel, one of the witnesses said he saw Jackson ‘pounding’ on the door of his female subordinate’s room. When she opened the door, Jackson said, ‘I need you,’ and, ‘I need you to come to my room.'”
On the way to Asia that same year, Jackson allegedly “made a comment about a female medical subordinate’s breasts and buttocks.”
The charges are that he told “a female medical subordinate (Manila Witness 2), who was also on the trip, had ‘great t**s,’ and ‘what a nice a**,’ and that RDML Jackson also told Manila Witness 1 that he would ‘like to see more of her tattoos.'”
