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White House Taps Ronny Jackson for Promotion to Two-Star Admiral

White House Taps Ronny Jackson for Promotion to Two-Star Admiral

(Bloomberg) -- Rear Admiral Ronny L. Jackson has been nominated by the White House for promotion to two-star admiral, months after his bid to become Veterans Affairs chief derailed when the Pentagon opened an investigation into the Navy officer’s alleged behavior.

The White House sent Jackson’s name for promotion consideration to the Senate on Jan. 15, the Washington Post reported. It’s unclear when the Senate might take up the issue.

Jackson, 51, was serving as the president’s doctor when Trump nominated him in late March to lead the Veterans Affairs department, a sprawling agency that employs over 375,000 people.

He withdrew from consideration to run the department about a month later, a day after Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana released a document with a long list of alleged transgressions, including drinking on the job and creating a hostile work environment. Tester’s document also aired accusations that Jackson wrote himself prescriptions and had staff write prescriptions for each other to give to other people. Jackson has denied any wrongdoing.

Bruce Anderson, a spokesman for the Defense Department’s top watchdog, the Inspector General’s Office, said his office’s investigation into Jackson is ongoing.

The White House said Saturday in a list of appointments to the executive office that Jackson will serve as assistant to the president and chief medical adviser.

Task and Purpose, a website focused on military and veterans’ matters, first reported that Jackson’s nomination for promotion had been resubmitted.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hailey Waller in New York at hwaller@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny, Tony Czuczka

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