JUST IN: Ronny Jackson WITHDRAWS nomination

Trump’s VA Secretary nominee, Ronny Jackson, has withdrawn his nomination amidst the firestorm of allegations in recent days about his conduct:

CBS PHILLY – Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson has withdrawn as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said in a statement Thursday morning.

His nomination was hampered by a flurry of allegations about Jackson’s professional conduct.

In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Jackson slammed allegations of improper behavior leveled against him as “completely false and fabricated.”

“If they had any merit, I would not have been selected, promoted and entrusted to serve in such a sensitive and important role as physician to three presidents over the past 12 years,” Jackson said. “Going into this process, I expected tough questions about how to best care for our veterans, but I did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity.”

Jackson said he was motivated to withdraw from consideration because the allegations against him “have become a distraction” for Trump and his agenda.

“Unfortunately, because of how Washington works, these false allegations have become a distraction for this President and the important issue we must be addressing — how we give the best care to our nation’s heroes,” Jackson said. “While I will forever be grateful for the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me by giving me this opportunity, I am regretfully withdrawing my nomination to be Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

Speaking on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, Trump said Jackson’s withdrawal was not unexpected.

“I even told him a day or two ago I saw where this was going,” Trump said.

Here’s Trump weighing in on this on Fox and Friends: