Confirmation hearings for Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs have been delayed as senators question his ability to lead the large organization and as of yet unspecified allegations of past poor conduct.
The development came just two days before Jackson, the White House physician, was scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and threw what was looking to be a difficult confirmation process into further jeopardy. […]
In recent days, fresh concerns arose about Jackson's management of the White House medical office, said the officials, who declined to provide details.
"I can tell you we're vetting out Jackson," said Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), the committee's ranking Democrat. "I can't get into specifics, but we're doing our job to make sure he's fit for the job."
Aides to committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) declined to comment. […]
From the start, Jackson had little support from Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers were taken aback by the president's choice to run the government's second-largest agency. A one-star Navy admiral, Jackson has served three administrations as White House physician. But his résumé shows little management experience. VA's sprawling health, benefits and cemetery system has 360,000 employees and an annual budget of $186 billion.
In addition to his lack of management experience, senators apparently have concerns about how he did manage the White House medical office. Sen. Mike Rounds, (R-SD) confirmed in an NPR interview Tuesday that there are are "serious" but "unsubstantiated allegations" leading to the postponement of the hearing. "We have been given a brief sketch of what they [the allegations] are, but I'd prefer not to discuss them at this time," Rounds said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said "we are dealing with some fairly raw allegations and we need to know if there is factual support for it." A hint emerged on MSNBC's Morning Joe Tuesday, with the group discussing the rumors against Jackson as having created "a hostile work environment," and being guilty of "excessive drinking on the job and improperly dispensing meds." As of now, that's just gossip, but whatever senators are hearing about Jackson, it's got them concerned.
For its part the White House is standing by Jackson, releasing a statement saying his "decisive leadership is exactly what's needed at the VA." Or you know, maybe it needs competent leadership?