Rep. Ronny Jackson 'said a junior female staffer had "great t**s", and he drank alcohol and took Ambien while working as White House physician to Obama sparking concerns about his ability to administer medical care,' Pentagon watchdog finds
Rep. Ronny Jackson once said a junior female staffer had 'great t**s', drank alcohol on multiple presidential trips and took sleeping pills that sparked concerns about his ability to administer medical care to the president, according to a bombshell report.
The ex-White House physician, who served under both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, allegedly made 'sexual and denigrating' comments about a female colleague and her breasts and buttocks while on a trip to Asia back in April 2014.
Former colleagues also claim he broke protocol by drinking on at least two separate presidential trips and that he also took Ambien, a strong prescription drug used to treat insomnia that leaves the user drowsy.
The accusations are the culmination of a years-long investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general into Jackson based on interviews with 78 witnesses and a review of White House documents.
The blistering report, obtained in advance of its Wednesday release by CNN, also describes a working culture created by Jackson 'where fear and intimidation were kind of the hallmarks of him, his command, and control of his subordinates.'
Rep. Ronny Jackson (pictured in January) once said a junior female staffer had 'great t**s', drank alcohol on multiple presidential trips and took sleeping pills that sparked concerns about his ability to administer medical care to the president, according to a bombshell report
It marks the latest time Jackson's professionalism has been called into question after allegations first surfaced in 2018 that he was often drunk on duty and once hammered on the hotel door of a female colleague's room late at night while drunk.
Jackson slammed the report calling the allegations 'false and fabricated' and denied ever drinking alcohol while on duty as the White House doctor.
In the report, the watchdog says four witnesses recounted Jackson making inappropriate comments about a more junior female medical staffer while they were on a presidential trip to Manila from April 22 to April 29 2014.
One witness said the ex-White House physician made inappropriate comments about a more junior female medical staffer's breasts and buttocks during a presidential trip to Asia in April 2014.
Jackson allegedly told another colleague that the woman who was also on the trip had 'great t**s' and 'what a nice a**' and that he would 'like to see more of her tattoos', according to the report.
The Navy rear admiral was later seen 'pounding' on the hotel door of a female colleague's room late at night and telling her 'I need you,' and, 'I need you to come to my room' after he had been drinking on the trip, the report says.
It is not clear if this is the same female staff member.
The report also concluded there were at least two incidents where Jackson was drinking alcohol while on duty.
On the Manila trip, one witness recalled seeing Jackson drinking in the hotel lobby almost immediately after arriving in Manila.
He then allegedly got in a car with a drink in his hand 'to go out on the town.'
On a separate trip to Bariloche, Argentina, in 2016, two witnesses claimed Jackson was drinking beer while a third said they latter smelled alcohol on him.
The ex-White House physician, who served under both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, allegedly made 'sexual and denigrating' comments about a female colleague and her breasts and buttocks while on a trip to Asia back in April 2014. Picturedd with Obama
Under White House protocol, the physician in charge of medical care during a presidential trip is banned from drinking alcohol from 24 hours before the trip, and until two hours after.
Jackson, who once claimed Trump could live to 200 years old, viewed the rules as 'ridiculous', the report says.
The watchdog also concluded that Jackson's use of sleeping medication raised concerns about his ability to provide medical care to the president and other top officials.
The report also recommends that guidance be put forward on the appropriate use of Ambien and similar drugs while working on the White House medical team.
The report also casts an unfavorable light on Jackson's treatment of staff, with 38 of 60 witnesses interviewed about his command climate saying he was unprofessional and treated his subordinates poorly and intimidated them.
Both staff under Obama and Trump described Jackson as having a bad temper and often being seen 'yelling, screaming, cursing, or belittling subordinates', the report says.
'Many of these witnesses described RDML Jackson's behavior with words and phrases such as 'meltdowns,' 'yells' for no reason,' 'rages,' 'tantrums,' 'lashes out,' and 'aggressive,'' the report says.
'These witnesses also described RDML Jackson's leadership style with terms such as 'tyrant,' 'dictator,' 'control freak,' 'hallmarks of fear and intimidation,' 'crappy manager,' and 'not a leader at all.''
Just 13 staffers gave positive comments about working under him.
The physician 'established a workplace where fear and intimidation were kind of the hallmarks of him, his command, and control of his subordinates,' one person said in the report.
Sources told CNN members of Congress were briefed on the findings Tuesday, ahead of its release Wednesday.
Jackson hit back at the report Tuesday saying it was a political move by the Democrats to 'repeat and rehash untrue attacks on my integrity' because of his vocal support for Trump.
'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,' Jackson said in a statement to CNN.
Former colleagues also claim he broke protocol by drinking on at least two separate presidential trips and that he also took Ambien, a strong prescription drug used to treat insomnia that leaves the user drowsy. Pictured with Trump
The accusations are the culmination of a years-long investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general into Jackson based on interviews with 78 witnesses and a review of White House documents. Jackson and Eric Trump
'My entire professional life has been defined by duty and service. I've honorably served my country in the U.S. Navy, served patients who trusted me with their care, served three Presidents in the White House, and now I serve the people of Texas' 13th District in Congress.
'I have not and will not ever conduct myself in a way that undermines the sincerity with which I take my oath to my country or my constituents.'
The Pentagon watchdog first launched its investigation into Jackson back in 2018.
It said the investigation was hampered by the Trump administration which insisted interviews with White House Medical Unit staff could only be conducted in the presence of White House counsel.
This had a 'potential chilling effect' on the probe and investigators halted the interviews from October 2018 to August 2019.
Jackson worked as Physician to the President under both Obama and Trump, before he was nominated to serve as the Secretary of Veteran Affairs in 2018 - a nomination he later stood down from amid a flurry of allegations from colleagues about drunken behavior.
Several colleagues came forward saying he was often drunk on duty, was nicknamed the 'candyman' because of the way he handed out drugs and that he once hammered on the hotel door of a female colleague's room late at night while drunk.
In one alleged incident, Jackson reportedly got so drunk at a Secret Service party that he got behind the wheel of a government car and crashed it.
Jackson denied the accusations at the time calling them 'baseless' but the scandal led him to stand down as Trump's nominee as the Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jackson (pictured in 2018) slammed the report calling the allegations 'false and fabricated' and denied ever drinking alcohol while on duty as the White House doctor
The report did not substantiate the allegation about the car wreck.
Jackson's medical expertise was also called into question in 2018 when, after carrying out Trump's physical exam, he claimed the president was in 'excellent health' and said if he had a 'healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old.'
His positive outlook came despite test results indicating the president had a type of heart disease, worsening cholesterol and coronary calcium levels, and was obese.
Trump was hospitalized with coronavirus in October and was given Ebola drug Remdesivir - that was previously only available to very ill patients - supplementary oxygen and experimental antibody cocktail Regeneron.
Jackson was elected to the House in November and now sits on the House Armed Services subcommittee.
Prior to working as the White House physician Jackson also worked in the White House medical unit under the George W. Bush administration.
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