U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is leaving it up to his White House physician, Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, whether to walk away from his nomination as the country's Veterans Affairs chief after serious allegations surfaced accusing him of professional and personal misconduct.
Trump said he continues to support Jackson's nomination, but had asked Jackson, "What do you need it for?"
"The fact is I wouldn't do it," Trump told a White House news conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. "What does he need it for? To be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking nicely about our country, I really don't think personally he should do it, but it's totally his decision."
"I don't want to put a man through, who's not a political person, I don't want to put a man through a process that's too ugly and too disgusting," Trump said.
Trump offered his thoughts on Jackson's nomination to the Cabinet position hours after Senate lawmakers indefinitely delayed his confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that was scheduled for Wednesday. The hearing was called off as lawmakers considered as yet unsubstantiated allegations made by whistleblowers accusing him of overseeing a toxic work environment at the White House and excessive drinking.
Both Republican and Democratic senators agreed to postpone the hearing so a more thorough investigation of his background could be conducted, although the Republican Trump blamed Democrats as "obstructionists" in delaying approval of his nominees for an array of government positions.
"We take very seriously our constitutional duty to thoroughly and carefully vet each nominee sent to the Senate for confirmation," the committee chairman, Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, and the panel's top Democrat, Senator Jon Tester, said in a statement. "We will continue looking into these serious allegations and have requested additional information from the White House to enable the committee to conduct a full review."
Another senator, Democrat Ed Markey, told CNN, "Clearly, there was no comprehensive vetting of this nominee" by the White House before Trump nominated him to the Cabinet position. "Let's stop, let's learn more of his background both professionally and personally."
Jackson, who currently serves as Trump's physician, already was facing scrutiny over his lack of experience managing an agency as large as the VA. With 377,000 employees, it's the U.S. government's second-largest agency.
Trump scoffed at that concern, saying, "You could run the biggest hospital system in the world and it's small time compared to the Veterans Administration. So nobody has the experience."
Jackson gained a degree of fame unusual for White House physicians earlier this year when he took questions from the White House press corps on national television, gushing at length about Trump's health after conducting the president's physical exam.
Trump, the oldest first-term president in American history, was plagued at the time by questions about his physical health, weight and mental stability. But Jackson gave the president a top rating. "The president's overall health is excellent," Jackson declared at the time.
Trump picked Jackson to replace David Shulkin, a holdover from the administration of former president Barack Obama, whom Trump fired.
Amidst the allegations surfacing against Jackson, the White House has continued to stick by his nomination.
On Tuesday, a White House spokesman said, "Admiral Jackson has been on the front lines of deadly combat and saved the lives of many others in service to this country. He has served as the physician to three presidents - Republican and Democrat - and been praised by them all. Admiral Jackson's record of strong, decisive leadership is exactly what's needed at the VA to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they deserve."
