President Donald Trump tweeted a call for the resignation of Democratic Senator Jon Tester over his campaign to derail the nomination of Adm. Ronny Jackson, the now former nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Allegations made by Senator Jon Tester against Admiral/Doctor Ron Jackson are proving false. The Secret Service is unable to confirm (in fact they deny) any of the phony Democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful Jackson family. Tester should resign. The…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018
….great people of Montana will not stand for this kind of slander when talking of a great human being. Admiral Jackson is the kind of man that those in Montana would most respect and admire, and now, for no reason whatsoever, his reputation has been shattered. Not fair, Tester!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018
Tester led the charge in discrediting Jackson, who had served with distinction through three presidential administrations and had been routinely praised by former President Barack Obama. On Wednesday, he published a report detailing allegations against Jackson that included playing fast and loose with prescriptions and being drunk on duty.
Jackson withdrew himself from consideration on Thursday, saying that he had not expected the nomination process to include the need to defend himself against false allegations.
The allegations against me are completely false and fabricated. If they had any merit, I would not have been selected, promoted and entrusted to serve in such a sensitive and important role as physician to three presidents over the past 12 years.
According to a statement issued by the United States Secret Service, the allegations in the Tester report cannot be verified. “The Secret Service has no such record of any incident … a thorough review of internal documents related to all Presidential foreign travel that occurred in 2015, in addition to interviews of personnel who were present during foreign travel that occurred during the same timeframe, has resulted in no information that would indicate the allegation is accurate.”