Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Defends VA Nominee But Gives Him Cover To Withdraw Amid Allegations Of Misconduct, Lax Prescription Practices
The New York Times: After Trump Hints V.A. Nominee Might Drop Out, An Aggressive Show Of Support
President Trump acknowledged Tuesday that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, his nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, is in serious trouble amid accusations that as the White House doctor he oversaw a hostile work environment, improperly dispensed prescription drugs and possibly drank on the job. Speaking at a midday news conference with the president of France, Mr. Trump strongly defended Dr. Jackson, the White House physician, as “one of the finest people that I have met,” but he hinted that Dr. Jackson might soon withdraw from consideration, blaming Democrats for mounting an unfair attack on his nominee’s record. (Fandos and Shear, 4/24)
The Hill: Trump Gives Cover For VA Nominee To Withdraw
Trump repeatedly said the choice to withdraw was Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson’s, but he also questioned why he would want to go forward and take the "abuse" from politicians. “It’s totally his decision, he’ll be making a decision,” Trump said when asked about the nomination of Jackson, who is the White House physician to the president. The president said he told Jackson “this is a vicious group of people that malign. What do you need this for? … You’re too fine a person.” It is difficult to see how Jackson will remain as the nominee after Trump, who acted alone to pick him for the job, effectively told him he would be better off if he stepped aside. "If I were him, I wouldn't do it,” Trump said. (Fabian, 4/24)
The Wall Street Journal: Veterans Affairs Nominee Won’t Bow Out
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, laid out the allegations in a CNN interview Tuesday night, saying the committee was investigating allegations from active duty and retired military officers who had worked in the White House medical office and who had come to the committee with numerous complaints, including that Dr. Jackson belittled lower-ranking employees, drank to excess on overseas trips, and handed out prescriptions “like candy,” walking down the aisle during flights doling out drugs to help people fall asleep and wake up. (Nicholas, Radnofsky and Hughes, 4/24)
The Hill: Dem Senator: Trump's VA Pick Nicknamed 'Candy Man' For Handing Out Prescriptions
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said Tuesday that Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician President Trump has nominated to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, had been nicknamed "the candy man" for handing out prescription drugs. Tester, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, said on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that "in overseas trips, in particular, the admiral would go down the aisle way of the airplane and say, 'All right, who wants to go to sleep?' and hand out the prescription drugs like they were candy." (Sanchez, 4/24)
Reuters: White House Doctor Refuses To Pull Out As Trump's Nominee For Veterans Job
Jackson had been set to have his confirmation hearing for the job on Wednesday. But that was postponed indefinitely as senators from both parties said they wanted to look into concerns that had come to light about the Navy rear admiral, who has worked as a presidential physician since the George W. Bush administration. Trump left open the possibility during a news conference that Jackson would withdraw from a political process the president described as "too ugly and too disgusting." (Rampton and Cornwell, 4/24)
The Associated Press: Mixed Signals From Trump On VA Nominee As Allegations Build
A watchdog report requested in 2012 and reviewed by The Associated Press found that Jackson and a rival physician exhibited “unprofessional behaviors” as they engaged in a power struggle over the White House medical unit. The six-page report by the Navy’s Medical Inspector General found a lack of trust in the leadership and low morale among staff members, who described the working environment as “being caught between parents going through a bitter divorce.” “There is a severe and pervasive lack of trust in the leadership that has deteriorated to the point that staff walk on ‘eggshells,’” the assessment found. (Yen, Miller and Thomas, 4/25)
The Hill: Trump's VA Nominee Allegedly Banged On Female Employee's Hotel Door While Drunk: Report
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Trump's pick to become the next Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, got drunk and banged on the hotel room door of a female employee during an overseas trip in 2015, CNN reported. The Secret Service intervened after Jackson's actions became so loud that agents worried he would wake up then-President Obama, according to CNN. (Greenwood, 4/24)
The Washington Post: Trump Suggests Ronny Jackson Drop Out Of VA Nomination Because Of Ugly Process
It was another episode where a previously respected figure was lifted to prominence in Trump’s orbit — only to have their sheen and reputation tarnished. Jackson had been widely hailed by three presidents and their aides as competent, charming and fiercely protective before Trump stunned Washington last month by picking the doctor to run the country’s second-largest federal agency. (Dawsey, Kim, Rein and Wagner, 4/24)
The Washington Post: How Ronny L. Jackson Found His VA Nomination Rapidly Imperiled
When allegations of professional misconduct by White House physician Ronny L. Jackson started trickling during the past week to the Senate committee considering his nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, its chairman, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), called the White House twice seeking information. The answers did not appear to satisfy him. (Gardner, Kim and Rein, 4/24)
The Washington Post: ‘What Makes It Stop?’ Veterans Lament The Ongoing Turmoil Surrounding Trump’s Pick For VA Secretary
Ronny L. Jackson’s imperiled nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs underscores the agency’s deep-seated struggle to overcome years of scandal and return its focus to serving a constituency that, historically, has remained above the political fray. “This is complete and total chaos after years of complete and total chaos,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group. “Our veterans deserve so much better. Our whole country does. Especially in a time of war.” (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/24)
Politico: How Trump Botched The Ronny Jackson Nomination
President Donald Trump could have avoided the firestorm over Ronny Jackson’s nomination if he’d taken Johnny Isakson’s advice to begin with. In a private conversation with Trump last month, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs chairman mounted a strong defense of then-VA Secretary David Shulkin. But despite Isakson’s guidance, Shulkin was canned a few days later, and Jackson, the White House physician, was quickly nominated to take his place. (Everett, Johnson and Schor, 4/24)
The Associated Press: Lax Vetting On Trump Nominees Begins To Frustrate Senators
As President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs skids to a halt, senators from both parties are voicing frustration that the White House is skipping crucial vetting of nominees and leaving lawmakers to clean up the mess. That sentiment was evident Tuesday on Capitol Hill after senators delayed hearings for White House physician Ronny Jackson, Trump’s surprise pick to head the VA. Jackson is facing questions about improper workplace behavior, and even Trump himself acknowledged that there were concerns about his nominee’s experience. (Mascaro, 4/25)
