Inspector General Confirms Congressman Doctor Ronny Jackson Is Angry Drunken Lecher
It's always the ones you most suspect.
Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson is about to have himself a day. CNN reports that the Defense Department Inspector General is preparing to release a report on Jackson's misconduct while employed as the White House physician, and it's really, really bad. And also really, really exactly what we expected, since all these allegations were reported extensively when Trump briefly nominated Dr. Feelgood to lead the Veterans Administration. Also there was the 2012 Navy medical inspector general's report on the hostile working environment he created in the White House Medical Unit and the 2018 memo released by Democrats on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee detailing allegations that Jackson handed out Percocet like candy and had a bad habit of getting hammered on work trips.
So it's not exactly a surprise that the DODIG got 56 witnesses who agreed that the man was a drunken shitshow. But it's still shocking to see in print.
 CNN got its hands on an early copy of the IG report. Here's a sample of the findings:
On a presidential trip to Manila from April 22, 2014, to April 29, 2014, four witnesses who traveled with then-President Barack Obama and Jackson said that Jackson became intoxicated and made inappropriate comments about a female medical subordinate.
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."
Yikes. So much for the requirement that medical providers refrain from using alcohol while providing care to the president. Also, too that they not sexually harass subordinates.
But wait, there's more! CNN says that six medical staffers told the IG that Jackson took Ambien to allow himself to rest comfortably on long flights with the president. The doctor was apparently unconcerned that he might find himself half comatose during a medical emergency. Gotta get that beauty sleep!
Amazingly, there are no specific regulations banning the use of pharmaceutical depressants for on-duty medical personnel. Perhaps it never occurred to anyone to say "Don't get high and fly around the room with the Lunesta butterfly when you're treating the leader of the free world." The IG recommends that they spell it out, to prevent further confusion.
Naturally Jackson blames evil Democrats for the IG report.
"Democrats are using this report to repeat and rehash untrue attacks on my integrity," he told CNN. "I'm proud of the work environment I fostered under three different Presidents of both parties; I take my professional responsibility with respect to prescription drug practices seriously; and I flat out reject any allegation that I consumed alcohol while on duty,"
Of course, this is the guy who said with a straight face that President Hamburder was 6'3", 239 pounds, and blessed with "incredible genes." So, clearly not a stranger to stretching the truth.
Can’t believe this Ronny Jackson dude wasn’t on the level https: //t.co/yM1OYVDR1F
— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1614742037.0Â
Also, the acting DODIG Sean O'Donnell was appointed to the position by Trump himself. And yet the Trump White House did everything it could to throw a monkey wrench into the investigation.
The report also notes that the investigation into Jackson "was limited in scope and unproductive" as White House counsel under Trump insisted on being present at all interviews of current White House Medical Unit employees, which had a "potential chilling effect" on the probe.
"We determined that the potential chilling effect of their presence would prevent us from receiving accurate testimony," the report states, adding that fieldwork stopped for about 10 months, between October 11, 2018, and August 22, 2019, as the Department of Defense inspector general and White House counsel determined whether the White House would invoke executive privilege, which they ultimately did not do.
Executive privilege over WHAT exactly? Were they going to claim it was a national secret that Dr. Drunkenlecher was harassing his staff? We're going to read that part as "worried that investigators would ask about falsified medical records and whether they were injecting amphetamines into the presidential haunches." Because WTF?
As usual, the actual consequence for Jackson's bad behavior will be ... nothing. CNN notes the theoretical possibility that he could be busted down in rank and lose some of his military pension. Luckily, he'll be able to start collecting a congressional pension if he can manage to get elected to the House a couple more times. TG!
But he didn't get to lead the VA, and his promotion to a two-star was rejected by the Senate. So hasn't he suffered enough already?
Don't answer that one. We'll keep hitting refresh on the DODIG's media page and link the report in here when it drops.
[Edit: Five minutes after you hit publish. Isn't that always the way. Here ya go. ]
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DOD*
*Drunk On Duty.
Jackson predates Trump. He was first appointed as Physician to the President under W, and remained in that post under Obama.
This is one of those days when I'm just fed up with male privilege.