GOP Senator Contradicts Trump On Ronny Jackson Allegations

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON ― A top Republican lawmaker undercut President Donald Trump’s attacks against Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) over the bungled nomination of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson to head the Veterans Affairs Department, saying some of the allegations targeting the White House physician appeared credible.

Jackson was forced to withdraw from consideration for the post last week after Tester, the senior Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, raised concerns about several allegations ― including that the doctor oversaw a “toxic” work environment, overprescribed medication, and drank while on the job. Trump stoutly defended Jackson over the weekend, dismissing the allegations as baseless and calling for Tester’s resignation.

But Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, contradicted Trump and his top aides by saying a CNN story published earlier this week substantiated some of the misconduct accusations.

According to the story, Vice President Mike Pence’s physician raised alarms in the White House earlier this year that Jackson may have violated federal privacy protections for Pence’s wife, Karen, by discussing her medical condition with others. CNN also reported that the Pence physician said in a memo he felt intimidated when an angry Jackson confronted him about the concerns he had aired. Jackson acted unprofessionally, the doctor said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-senator-contradicts-trump-on-ronny-jackson-allegations/ar-AAwE0VE?li=BBnbcA1

[Cha]

1. Surprising but good.. anybody who can

call the idiot out on his stupid attacks.

[MontanaMama]

2. Finally some GOPer back up.

Tester has been waving in the wind on doing his job with Ronny Jackson.

[karynnj]

4. How has this been playing in Montana where people know Tester?

Clearly Trump and the RNC are trying to use this - even though it was his job and others were hearing the same things. I actually wish Jackson would have stayed in. Had that happened, these accusations would have been given more scrutiny. Not to mention, he could still have been rejected because he was a poor fit to running a large organization.

It is hard to reconcile the positive comments of Obama era people with the accusations. However, the comment that he was pleasant toward those above him (the Obama people), while mistreating the people reporting to him. As to the dispensing drugs, could this just be an extreme version of doctors giving patients samples that drug companies gave them. I have not heard any Trump, Obama or Bush person speak of him giving them anything.

One of two things seem to be likely here. Either Jackson really is abusive, unprofessional, and misused his ability to obtain drugs and dispense them or there was a large coordinated attempt to drown the nomination in accusations coming from many sources. Here, I worry that the latter could happen. What if the Koch Brothers were unhappy with the impulsive appointment of someone whose politics are unknown or known to them and NOT in favor of privatization. It was clear that the real reason Shulkin was kicked out was that he was against privatization.

What I am afraid of is that this will ultimately be like Miers/Alito. In the case of the VA, could the next nominee be someone who is more political and more extreme especially on privatizing the VA.

[MontanaMama]

5. At this time

I’m not seeing a backlash against Tester for outing Dr Jackson’s shenanigans. Veterans have been vocal in their support of him even if they don’t agree with him on other issues. However, we're hearing lots of chit chat about the Koch bros plan to dump millions into the state to defeat him. I hope Montanans know better than to vote against their own best interests yet again.

[karynnj]

6. Good Luck -- and thanks for the local information

Tester is impressive.

[RockRaven]

3. Trump is such a coward

not a peep from him about Isakson or Pence. He's afraid of getting into a conflict with them.