It appears that the confirmation hearing of Trump’s VA nominee, Ronny Jackson, which was scheduled for tomorrow has now been delayed due to new questions about his background.
BREAKING: Senate committee says it has delayed Wednesday's confirmation hearing for Trump's VA nominee Ronny Jackson.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 24, 2018
A Senate committee has indefinitely delayed a confirmation hearing for Ronny Jackson, Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, because of questions about his background, according to White House and congressional aides. https://t.co/rYbnaDtH8q
— Capital Journal (@WSJPolitics) April 24, 2018
Senate VA Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson tells me they will hold a nomination hearing for Ronny Jackson “in the near future,” but would not say why it was delayed in the first place. The hearing was scheduled for tomorrow.
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaNBCNews) April 24, 2018
Around the same time as this news broke, the NY Times published this article which sheds some light on this decision by the Senate committee:
Breaking News: President Trump’s V.A. nominee has been accused of overseeing a hostile workplace, overprescribing drugs and drinking on the job https://t.co/NkgBVoAwt3
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 24, 2018
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is examining allegations that President 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 Dr. 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 Dr. 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 White House defended Dr. 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 Dr. 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.
Whenever they reschedule this nomination hearing for Jackson, it sounds like it’s going to be far more of a spectacle than I would have imagined.