WASHINGTON — President Trump’s nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary passed at least four separate background checks without raising red flags, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday.
None of the “new” allegations of drinking, overprescribing of drugs and other medical concerns were revealed, she said.
“Dr. Jackson’s record as a White House physician has been impeccable,” Sanders told reporters.
“In fact, because Dr. Jackson has worked within arm’s reach of three presidents, he has received more vetting than most nominees.”
Jackson was vetted by three different presidential administrations and passed an FBI investigation conducted during the nomination vetting process, she added.
“During each of those investigations, Dr. Jackson has received unanimous praise from dozens of witness and the investigations revealed no areas of concern,” Sanders said.
Jackson’s nomination hearing was postponed indefinitely after whistleblowers came forward accusing him of creating a hostile work environment at the White House medical unit, including excessive drinking and overprescribing drugs.
Sanders pushed back against the Capitol Hill concerns that Jackson wasn’t vetted properly and insisted “none of those things” had come up.
Trump appeared to give Jackson an out Tuesday, saying he’d understand if his personal doctor didn’t want to go through the “abuse” from politicians in his confirmation process.
“I really don’t think, personally, he should do it,” Trump said Tuesday. “But I would stand behind him. (It’s) totally his decision.”
But the White House has since doubled down on his nomination, after Jackson has indicated he still wants to lead the second-largest department in Washington and its hundreds of thousands of employees.