jackson very well. you have been handed ambien by dr. jackson. did you feel like in your personal experience that he was -- he's been called a -- >> the candy man. >> absolutely not. >> you're saying that's taking it too far? >> it absolutely is taking it too far. white house medical unit including dr. jackson do hand out ambien. it's part of their medical protocol pursuant to the job requirements of agents and white house staff traveling around the world. as a medical practicer, ronny jackson is the highest caliber. any time i received something from him or any member of the white house medical unit, first they did a quick medical assessment. is there a need for me to receive this medication. two, letting me know the dangers of it. three, signing the medication out, documenting that i received medication. so what's being purported as, you know, sort of salacious that he's handing out medicine out of a bag, i've never experienced that in my entire time at the white house. >> what about the reports of him being overseas at one point, being intoxic

i talked to dr. jackson this afternoon. i spoke with the president. dr. jackson is made clear he wants a fight. we cannot allow anyone to be criticized and vetted and concluded upon in the press. or it's just through allegations. that's what hearings are for. if dr. jackson is willing to go and raise his right hand and answer questions, then the whole world can see that, and it's called a confirmation hearing. i would really push back heartily at the democratic senator chris murphy singh may be the president will do a better job venting his people. these are the fitness report counseling records from president obama, high mark stuart varney jackson. most impressive leader who continues to perform at the flag officer level. ronny has earned my confidence and gratitude of my family for his diligence and knowledge. goes on and on. we should know that in 2014, this in 2016, exceptional physician and leader. this is someone, dr. jackson has been serving several different presidents. republicans and democrats. the president today said that he understands if dr.

the prognosis for dr. ronny jackson right now is not good. senate leaders postponed a hearing today to consider jackson's nomination to lead the department of veteran's affairs. the republican chairman of the committee and his democratic counterpart cited, quote, serious allegations against jackson who's currently the white house physician. according to multiple reports, the committee is looking at allegations that jackson allowed the overprescribing of drugs and drank on the job. and the ep is now reporting that a 2012 inspector general report cited unprofessional behavior and considered removing him. this afternoon president trump left the door open for jackson to withdraw while speaking with reporters with emanuel macron. >> i told admiral jax an while ago -- admiral jackson a while ago, what do you need this for? i don't want to put a man through this process. it's ugly and disgusting. i wouldn't do it. 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 pers

dr. jackson's record as a white house decision has been impeccable. in fact, because dr. jackson has worked within arms reach of three presidents, he has refed more vetting than most. given his unique position of trust and responsibility, dr. jackson's background and character were evaluated during three different administrations. dr. jackson has had at least four independent background investigations conducted during this time at the white house, including an fbi investigation conducted as part of the standard nomination vetting process. during each of those investigations, dr. jackson received unanimous praise from dozens of witnesses and the investigations revealed no areas of concern. dr. jackson has received glowing evaluations from his superiors including several from president obama, which said such as dr. jackson should continue to promote ahead of his peers and already at a level of performance and responsibility that exceeds his current rank. >> what about the allegations about overprescribing? the other one i just mentioned a moment ago. >> i think it makes it

ronny jackson that if he were dr. jackson, he would call it quits. we're joined right now by our political and legal experts. gloria borger, we got some new details on the allegations against dr. jackson from senator jon tester,ing the ranking democrat on the veterans affairs committee. listen to what he just told npr. >> -- were used by the folks that we talked to were abusive towards staff, very explosive personality, belittles the folks underneath him, folks that he oversaw, screamed towards staff, basically creating an environment where the staff felt that they immediated ed toneed eggshells when around him. >> he also said there was a drinking problem on trips, when he was supposed to take care of the president, he was drunk. those are pretty strong words. what are you hearing? >> well, our white house team is reporting that for now, at least, the president and the white house is standing by him. we all heard the president earlier today when he was with macron said, look, if it were up to me, i said to him, why would anyone want to go through th

dr. jackson. listen. >> iran and climate deal. how is your reaction -- >> there was something in it for everyone. i tweeted out today that the voice of john mccain sort of alive and well in that speak in terms of rejecting isolationism, leading from the front, not from behind. the countries like france and the united states shape history and we're looking -- people will be overwhelmed by globalization was music to my ears for the french president to say that we're global leaders, proud of it, we're not going to create vacuums throughout the world. north korea, i think he gave a lot of credit to president trump and he deserves a lot of credit for getting north korea to the table on the iran deal. i'm glad he's understanding it's not a good deal. let me tell you how bad it is. the arabs wants nuclear power. i'm okay with iranians having a nuclear power plant. i'm know okay them making the fuel. they can turn the fuel to a bomb. this deal allows them to enrich and reprocess. we're telling our arab allies to not enrich and reprocess b

jackson's hearing. a top republican said dr. jackson should be given a chance. >> well, everything i have seen that has come up, you know, obviously probably isn't helpful to his cause, but he deserves his day in court. i assume the committee will give him that. >> reporter: the white house was quick to point out the glowing praise dr. jackson received from president barack obama. dana? >> dana: and the president i worked for, president george w. bush liked him, too. thank you very much. there's more reaction to the jackson nomination from capitol hill and the white house. >> i have not talked to members of the committee because we haven't convened. i have talked to them individually. for the most part they're doing the same thing i am. just trying to figure out where the truth is. >> i think you have to question, there's a process in the department of defense for active military people to bring those concerns. why would they bring allegations to the ranking member of the veteran affairs committee? >> dana: joining me now tennes

the president feels very strongly about dr. jackson's character. about through his personal interactions with dr. jackson, about how strong of a leader he is. that this is a man who served in combat, who saved lives. he's cared for veterans on the battlefield. for us at the white house. he'll do great care for our veterans who deserve his leadership. >> so, can i just play for you something that john kn tester s? sure, b maybe president obama had a great experience with him. he said he has. president trump has said he has, but that does not mean these things are not true. >> we were told time and time again the people above treated like gold, people above him, he belittled, screamed at him. created a really toxic environment to the point where the people who worked around him felt like they had to walk on egg shells because of his lack of respect for his job. >> you know, just sort of makes me think when allegations against matt lawyer or charlie rose, i had worked with them and hasn't experienced it, but everything that was said against them that

jackson an out, saying if he was dr. jackson, he would just pull hiss na name. but then as the day went on, he seemed to want to double down. one of the key problems they have here is that people came to folks on the hill on their own, 20 or so active and retired military folks. so this idea that this is some conspiracy to bring a good man down -- >> or that it's partisan. >> there is another concern too, and this is coming so soon after the rob porter controversy, and that was so mishandled by the white house on so many levels, that there's a new awareness, a new sensitivity to everyone, not just inside the white house, but in congress, terms of people who decide nominations, people who are able to influence this process to say, we're really obligated now. >> it's a key point, because you have republican senators being much more publicly. they call the president impulsive, some of the process mickey mouse, and now it's becoming pub hick. a quick break here. the bromance is up deniable, but will the friendship lead to a new iran deal? don't make a first impressi

maybe this is all unfair toe dr. jackson, to admiral jackson. but if it is unfair, the white house is partly to blame. >> yeah. because this was essentially a decision made by the president because he liked his relationship with dr. jackson, he likes the interaction and his presentation on television. and then you had people after this nomination was made, like lindsey graham did come out and say this was a home run and pretty laudtory about this pick and now he's in a position where all of this additional information comes out about -- about dr. jackson. one of the problems is that from the white house you'll hear them say this is a witch hunt, this is partisan, the president in some way said that in the press conference yesterday saying maybe dr. jackson shouldn't stay in the running because who wants to put up with this. it is like 20 people, who come forward -- >> 20 background sources -- >> making these allegations and some active military and some retired military. so they're going to have a real kind of problem, i think, suggesting this i

it was distributing under dr. jackson's leadership. the summary also notes quote, multiple incidents of drunkenness on duty adding that jackson once got drunk at a secret service going away party and wrecked a government vehicle. >> jackson denied that specific allegation saying quote, i never wrecked a car and that it should be pretty easy to prove. dr. jackson said earlier this week that he looked forward to a confirmation hearing so he can answer lawmakers' questions. despite the new allegations the white house continues to stand by dr. jackson. >> dr. jackson's record as a white house physician has been impeccab impeccable. in fact, because dr. jackson has worked within arm's reach of three presidents he has received more vetting than most nominees. dr. jackson has had at least four independent background investigations conducted during his time at the white house including an fbi investigation conducted as part of the vetting process. >> republican support for dr. jackson may be collapsing according to politico, three senators sai

thank you. >>> new allegations against dr. jackson. to our senior congressional constituent manu raju working this part of the story for us. manu, what are you finding out. >> reporter: democrats on the senate veteran as fairs committee have just released a two-page document laying out stunning allegations against ronny jackson after interviewing 23 current and former colleagues of the veterans' affairs secretary nominee. the allegations about his past behavior and allegations of misconduct that they acknowledge have not been fully substantiated but rather explosive charges. they fall into three categories. one about his handling of prescription drugs loosely in the word -- in the view of these whistleblower, two his administration of a office that was hostile work environment. and number three, him being in the words of these sources, excessively drunk, including on the job. now in one rather stunning allegation here, it said that while he was at a secret service going away party he got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle. now in a

this may be less of a dr. jackson story than a white house story. it's a vetting issue right now. they should have known these stories one way or the other. >> john kelly, his chief-of-staff has a problem with this. there are people inside the white house who are concerned about why he wasn't vetted, why they had to get to this level where people are concerned about it. you have this kind of push/pull between the president and his top aides. it's another one of those inside the white house kind of infighting, that's what's happening right now. >> go ahead, rachel. >> just to follow-up on that. we're hearing that it's gotten so bad at the white house that certain white house sources administrative sources have started leaking negative information on people that the president wants to be named to certain cabinet posts including jackson that there's actually a covert campaign to try to get this out in the media because the president trump will not listen to these advisers and so they have to go public with these things they're seeing and that's just incredible. >> keep your eye on th

jackson. that is stunning, serious allegations by 23 people who know dr. jackson. yet sarah sanders says he's been thoroughly vetted and in the same breath said that none of these allegations came up, which they certainly would have in anything remotely close to a vetting process. now white house sources say president trump is beginning to wonder out loud if dr. jackson should step aside before things get worse. the white house is reportedly preparing tonight for the possibility that dr. jackson will withdraw his nomination. and then there's what appears to be a new bromance for president trump. no, not the french president emmanuel macron who threw some shade in a speech in congress today that we'll talk about. but trump's new bff is, wait for it, kanye. kanye west. kanye tweeting today, "you don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. we are both dragon energy. he is my brother. i love everyone. i don't agree with everything anyone does." the president replied, "thank you, kanye, very cool." the internet lost its mind. is everyone missi

jackson, it was going to make it into the public domain. president trump's review of dr. jackson. and let's face it, the white house was taken up today by the visiting french delegation and preparing for a first ever state dinner tonight, which can be an enormous distraction and a drag on resources. could it be that the press shop is behind the story as of the time of this conversation right now? >> sure. i mean we've -- you know, people talk a lot about the vetting and the problem with the vetting in the trump white house. that is an issue. but there's other issues too, and you've mentioned one, which is why didn't we see president obama's glowing, you know, remarks before? you know, this is a person that they nominated some weeks ago, that the president nominated some weeks ago. then we just really didn't hear much about it. they knew immediately there were going to be concerns, not the concerns that came out today, but that he wasn't qualified for the job. it's tonight late, 6:00. it didn't even go to the entire press corps, just to people that had asked about dr. jackson, that

a lot focussed on dr. ronny jackson. one point to make, she got into a cur if you feel, let's use that word with jim acosta over the freedom of the press. she said that by standing in front of reporters and taking questions she's actively involved in promoting a free press. absolutely yes the administration does have a press briefing everyday and absolutely, yes, we have a lot of access to the president in those pool sprays, but let's not forget the way the president treats the press and the derogatory terms he uses for the press, both on his twitter account and in interviews or in dealing with reporters. he's called reporters sleaze bags, son of b's, third rate, little, for instance. so, if you're going to talk about the way this administration upholds the free press, let's not forget how the president himself treats the press. hallie jackson with us from the white house. hallie, a lot of that briefing was focussed on ronny jackson. the white house saying they're still standing behind him. but just in the last couple mi

start with dr. jackson. even if the whistleblower reports are not true or exaggerated, his fitness for the job is front and center the issue and now his patron, who nominated him, is essentially conceded he lacks the experience and in a press conference today at the white house and personally encouraging him to really rethink whether he wants the job, what does he need it for. and of course, he then attacks critics who are raising legitimate issues on behalf of the millions of veterans who would be affected by an unfit secretary of veterans' affairs. >> i know you have a lot of veterans in your district in virginia. does dr. jackson deserve the chance to defend himself publicly, openly, during a senate confirmation hearing against these allegations before his nomination is abandoned? >> i think the announcement today on a bipartisan basis by the chairman of the ranking member of the committee, that they will postpone the nomination hearing indefinitely is a clear signal to dr. jackson that he has an honorabl

dr. jackson's lack of experience and running a major organization. it's a critical flaw. >> i've gotten to know him pretty well. he's a great doctor. it was a suggestion. i know there's an experience problem was a lack of experience. a admiral jackson is a wonderful man. i say what do you need it for. as far as experience is concerned, the veterans administration is so big, you could run the biggest hospital system in the world and it's small time compared to the veterans administration. nobody has the experience. what he is is a leader and a good man. >> joining me now, melissa bryant is the chief policy office for iraq and afghanistan veterans of america and joins me here. thank you for being with us. what about the experience factor? what is your position on ronnie jackson to take this job? >> before any of these scandal news hit, our members were hit. rerepresent 425,000 members and supporters for the post- 9/11 generation. they were concerned about his ability to lead such a massive bureaucracy. over 3040,000 employees. they have held a staff of

jackson when senator tester said on cnn tonight that dr. jackson's nickname in the white house was candy man because he casually handed out prescription drugs. >> that's not a nickname you want in a doctor. if you consider the prescription drugs we have a problem with in the country, it's not an example we need to have set. >> dr. jackson is not going to be the next secretary of veterans affairs. but he doesn't seem to know that yet. here he is on capitol hill today. >> you've seen the allegations, a hostile work environment, allegations of obviously drinking on the job, overprescribing medication. are you saying those are categorically untrue? >> i'm saying i'm looking forward to the hearing so we can sit down and i can explain everything to everyone and answer all the senators' questions. >> but donald trump knows there is not going to be a hearing. donald trump knows it's all over for the good doctor. here is what the president had to say this afternoon. >> i said to dr. jackson, what do you need it for? so we'll see what happens. i don'

jackson. so the president wasn't on message saying if i were dr. jackson i'd step out of it. instead, he should have said this someone who had worked for three presidents. someone who is facing unsubstantiate allegations while senator tester did spread and share these allegations. none of them were -- it wasn't like there were 20 people on tv saying this is what he did to me. so, i think there was a problem there in that these things are spread so quickly and that dr. jackson didn't really have a chance to respond in the right way. >> yeah. i want to get to the president's -- i guess we'll call it free wheeling interview on "fox & friends" this week. here's what he said. >> i'm fighting a battle against a horrible group of deep-seated people, drain the swamp, that are coming up with all sorts of phony charges against me. and they're not bringing up real charges against the other side. so, we have a phony deal going on. and it's a cloud over my head. and i've been able to really escape that cloud, because the message now, everyone knows it's a fix, okay? it's a with hunch hunt

a lot of problems for dr. jackson. >> yeah. and the president defending him but saying i would understand if he didn't want to go through this process. let's set this up. there's new fallout over president trump's nominee for secretary of veterans affairs dr. ronnie jackson. facing allegations of overprescribing medication, drinking on the job and creating an unprofessional work environment. democratic senator jon tester the ranking member on the veterans affairs committee spoke those allegations in the interviews yesterday. >> he is the physician for the president and in the previous administration we were told the stories he was repeatedly drunk while on duty where his main job was to take care of the most powerful man it's in world. that's not acceptable. >> the word is that on overseas trips in particular admiral would go down the aisle of the airplane and say who wants to go to sleep and hand out the prescriptions. >> like an ambien-type drug? >> that's right. and put them to sleep and give them the drugs to wake them back

listen. >> i knew dr. jackson. in my experience, he was very professional and very courteous and under control. i never saw the behavior reported here. >> as a medical practitioner, ronn yerks ja ronny jackson is highest caliber. >> i don't know where this stuff is coming from. i don't know what is true. >> it is fascinating to see if he decides this is not worth it for him to go through all of this and if he clears this, he still has to convince the senate he is qualified to get the job. >> that's right. the whole process of getting nominated certainly takes a personal toll as well as professional one for any nominee. it is grueling to meet with senators and expose your life. you have to hire legal help. not necessarily in this case, but some forego lucrative careers that they then not get the income from anymore. a lot of factors that go into being the nominee and getting looked at under the microscope and having your record picked over with a fine-tooth comb. it was interesting the other day when president trump

two people that have spent a lot of time with dr. jackson. he wants to have a chance to answer some of those questions and we're going to continue moving forward in this process at this point. >> bill: no change as of this hour is what i hear. >> look, the president kind of left that up to dr. jackson to make that determination. at this point as the president said yesterday he is a great man. he hates to see him go through this process. it's part of the reason i think most americans hate washington washington has become so broken that they focus so much on destroying people they aren't even talking about his qualifications to run the v.a.. they're talking about personal character assassination. we've seen it time and time again. and i think that we really need to look at the way the process is handled. they did this with director pompeo. somebody who is incredibly qualified, should have been moved forward much quicker and frankly with a lot more bipartisan support. you have one of the most uniquely qualified individuals that's coming in to ta

mcconnell, did you meet with dr. jackson? >> so the president says it's dr. jackson's decision, senator mcconnell says it's the white house's decision, they're waiting to hear their queues from the white house. it does sound like they're waiting for jackson to bow out. that this confirmation is not going to go forward, am i right? kevin barron, are you there? executive editor of defense one. i assume the viewers just knew your face and wouldn't actually need an sbintroduction. >> it's business as usual at the white house, so this nomination is already off the rails before it really began. and, yeah, it sounded today like the president gave him an offramp. but he still wanted him. in the same breath, the president said he wouldn't put himself through the process, but he did, he's the president, he knows how this goes. so i'm less worried about the lack of -- i'm not so worried about business as usual, because this is what we have come to expect. it does sounuoes sound like it hands of whether he wants to go through this or not, so i guess we'll have to wait an

jackson and president trump. dr. jackson has had a warm relationship with many presidents over the years. but when you see his adopting the language of the president, a phrase the president often uses is great genes. the president at times has grown more isolated inside of the west wing, turning to friends and confidants from his business career, also people around him who he truly trusts like dr. jackson, not necessarily lawmakers or outside advisors. dr. jackson was present. he was a constant at the side of president trump. so when it came time to move on from shulkin, he was there. he seemed like an obvious choice. >> having worked in the white house, the white house doctor isn't by your side in case you need something or to suck up. the white house doctor is by your side in case you fall ill, in case something happens to you, in case you're in a car accident. sort of the simplicity -- and i accept and agree with how he ended up being the nominee for va. but it's just a ludicrous chain of events that he was in the

jackson. dr. jackson served in that administration, as well. president barack obama said his positive impact cannot be overstated. he said he was a tremendous asset to the entire white house team. continuing on, the white house rallying behind him after the president said he wouldn't blame dr. jackson and he did not want him to. the president during the press conference admitting that dr. jackson has an experience problem and that was a problem that he was facing long before they came out and republicans, as well who were worried about nominating and confirming this person to be the next va secretary because of course, they said he's never run anything like that before. regardless before these allegations, he was facing an uphill battle and of course, it was delayed indefinitely and marc short did tell us the white house would request a new hearing from dr. ykson. >> we are all waiting for that to be put back on the calendar. thank you very much. much more to come, one of the claims against jackson dates back to his time as white house physicia

we had a chance to ask dr. jackson the same questions again. he gave the same answers as he did on arriving in senator maran's office. he said he's looking forward to answering the questions the senators have about him. not taking the opportunity to answer any of those questions. i asked him if he would deny if any of aellegations are true. he wouldn't do that either. he wants to answer the senator's questions. not in this moment in time. again, sounding very much like a machi man who intends to continue and hear meeting with the republican senator on the committee that will have to approve him so doing the leg work to get past what is this postponement of his hearing. >> let's play that tape of you cornering him there h tin the hallway on capitol hill. >> can you say anything at all about these allegations that come out against you h the last few days? >> i was looking forward to the hearing tomorrow. kind of disappointed pst tennessee po it's been postponed. >> you have seen allegations of over prescribing medications. are you saying those un

jackson. listen to what dr. jackson just said. >> i'm looking forward to rescheduling the hearing and getting the process moving. thanks, guys. >> any response to the allegations? >> what makes you qualified for this job? >> he said he's looking forward to getting the hearing, the confirmation hearing, started in the senate and moving. i don't know if he said that before or after the president of the united states said if it were me, wouldi would drop out, do you need this sing ing aggr. what do you think? >> i think this was a masterful effort by president macron to bring the president over on the agreement. there's a huge krchasm on what president trump has outlined on the iran agreement and what the europeans want to see happen. maybe there can be some changes. i think it's going to be very difficult to convince the iranians to do much more unless you're going to do something for them. and let's not forget this is an agreement about no nuclear weapons by iran. and we've got verification in a big time way from

jackson, including some people called dr. jackson "the candy man." the president did not say is just what a long tradition of bipartisanship the panel actually has when it comes to the va and who runs it. with more on the bipartisan concerns about dr. jackson and what the lingering allegations mean for his current job as white house doctor, we're joined by cnn's phil mattingly. phil, just to be clear, when it comes to dr. jackson, the concerns spanned across the aisle, correct? it wasn't just democrats who had issues here? >> reporter: yeah, look, if you want to look back, john, the reality is this nomination was on thin ice before the allegations even came out. i talked to a number of republican senators weeks ago who were very concerned about the qualifications dr. ronny jackson brought to the job and were very frustrated with the fact that there was almost no consultation, if any at all, before the nomination by tweet that we saw that brought him to the table. now that actually has real meaning. because when these allegations came to light, there

nomination ronny jackson. dr. jackson told colleagues he may remove his name from consideration. huddled on wednesday afternoon with white house press staff. >> and in a report from senate democrats reviewed an abusive to colleagues and loosely handled medications and wrecked a government car drunk. jackson specifically denied that last allegation to reporters. >> no, i have not wrecked a car. thanks, guys. >> did you tell the president that, sir? >> earlier in the day, the white house defended jackson and the vetting that went into his selection. >> dr. jackson's record as a white house physician has been impeccable. because dr. jackson has world with three presidents and received more vetting than most nominees. >> the allegations of the democrats report are just that. allegations. senate staffers still working to substantiate them. >>> a day in the hot seat for scott pruitt with back-to-back house committee hearings. pruitt faces a host of ethical allegations related to spending and raises for top aides and the below market rent he paid to a lobbyist. the white house is keepin

>> let's talk here, lisa, about shulkin's replacement dr. ronny jackson. you wrote in an article, jackson taken aback by the nomination said senior white house officials. after aides gauged his interest in recent days, he hesitated to take on such a big job. but the president continued to push and told his senior staff monday that the doctor was his top choice. you say, lisa, this is more about perm chemistry for the president. >> that's right. so it was really clear to us from administration officials that the president was really enamored of dr. jackson who by all accounts is a very nice and good doctor at the white house as a presidential physician for 12 years and wanted him to do the job because hi felt they had a good bond, in part because of how dr. jackson handled himself on the podium in front of the press after giving the president a physical in which he said in very, very glowing terms that the president, you know, would live for a very long time and despite his lack of exercise, high cholesterol levels and overweight, that he would -- he ease i

shannon: the white house is sticking by dr. ronnie jackson, calling his record impeccable. donald trump's nominee to be developed the first a permit is under fire. and the lead white house dr.. and kristen fisher is tracking the details. >> he is accused of improper conduct. and the top democrat on the committee says dr. jackson's nickname is a candy man, and he its reaching out for candy. >> they are controlled substances. on overseas trips in particular the adm. would go down the aisle of the airplane. >> dr. jackson, on an overseas trip, the most important patient, donald trump, seem to suggest the political swamp he has to wade through to get the nomination might not be working. >> to be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking, it would be totally his decision. >> the president met with jackson. after a senior administration official says dr. jackson's record impeccable, he has improved unit morale, what that official is referring to our glowing performance reviews not from donald trump that pres. obama. pres. obama described him as a most impressive leade

situation with dr. ronny jackson? we're hearing about it almost exclusively from the partisan perspective, right? trump and the white house saying, well, this is about democrats who don't love the country and on the left we're hearing these are questions you should have figured out and now we have someone who's damaged. what about what the veterans think about this? this is supposed to be about them. let's discuss. we have paul rieckhoff, the founder and ceo of the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. always good to see you, big brother. >> good to see you. >> first of all, before all this, was ronny jackson somebody who was checking the boxes for the people in your organization? >> no. i think that's important. before this drama unfolded, we started a poll to find out how our members felt about it and we ended it yesterday morning before this news started to pull out and only 29% supported him. they don't know him. he doesn't have the management experience we would come to expect from someone that would handle t

that is just one of the issues that dr. ronny jackson is facing today. president trump's embattled nominee is also facing something of an explosion of new claims. drinking on the job, creating a toxic work environment inside the white house and recklessly doling out prescription pills as the white house position. whistle blowers have been talking to key senators about all of this. here's senator john tester. >> our overseas trips in particular that the admiral would go down the aisleway of the airplane and say who wants to go to sleep? >> so you're talking about like an ambien type? >> exactly right, and put them to s

he stood by dr. jackson in a very serious and huge way. >> he did. this is a pattern of behavior as you are alluding to. he has done with this michael flynn when he came under scrutiny by saying is he a good man and fine man. he did the same thing with rob porter and seeing that same language and behavior from trump with ronny jackson. he said and i think the exact quote was something like he is a good man. and trump is, you know, allowed to believe that and that's fine. but when these allegations are coming out, instead of saying we are going to look at this properly, you know, maybe we hadn't been aware of this before and it wasn't have thed now we will look into it and there is going to be an investigation, he just stands behind them. i think there was coded language in trump's remarks today about ronny jackson where he said, you know, the decision is up to him. i will leave the choice up to him. i think that is sort of suggesting or laying the groundwork for ronny jackson to pull out. >> shepard: maybe right. great to see you. >> thank you for ha

i knew dr. jackson. in my experience he was very professional, very courteous, very much under control. i never saw the behavior that's being reported here. not to say it didn't happen but it didn't happen in my presence. what i said about this was, i found him to be perfectly professional as a doctor. i saw nothing, by the same token, that would qualify him to run one of the largest and most complex federal agencies. that alone should have given people pause. the headline out of today was that melania trump spent a lot more time on preparation than the president did on his job and in naming, not just this cabinet appointee, but scott pruett and others, who a good vet may have excluded from the beginning. >> frank, we heard about dr. ronny jackson from the president earlier. watch this. >> i said to dr. jackson, what do you need it for? we'll see what happens. i don't want to put a man through who is not a political person. i don't want to put a man through a process like this. it's too ugly and too disg

secretary lies with dr. ronny jackson. prident trump has wondering aloud whether jack son should step aside "before things get worse." white house aides are preparing for the fact that he could withdraw. he may remove his name from consideration. a source is tells cnn that the white house was blind-sided by a range of allegations within this two-page memo released by democrats on the senate veterans affairs committee. the memo, which cites 23 of jackson is's current and former colleagues, claims that on at least one occasion, dr. jackson could not be reached when needed because he was passed out drunk in his hotel room. at a secret service going-away party, jackson got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle. the document alleges that jackson is was abusive to his colleagues and would prescribe medications when other physicians would not, earning him the nick name candyman because he would provide whatever prescriptions they sought without paperwork. jackson addressing the allegations wednesday. >> where are all these alleg

you have what's going on with dr. ronny jackson. that's a senate issue i terms confirmation. you're in the house. you'll be dealing with scott pruitt at the epa. you got about six open investigations into him about what he's been doing and whether it's ethical and right as a cabinet secretary. what are you your feelings about how much stink is too much? >> well, they're always investigations of conduct in the executive branch by the legislative branch, the united states congress, so this is not abnormal. there are always people who will level accusations against people in power. some of those accusations have merit, some do not and hopefully will be able to work our way through these investigations with a minimal amount of partisanship, get to what truly transpired and once we have gotten to the facts and the truth of the matter, then the executive branch can make whatever decision they need to make in order to repair whatever damage has been done to their reputation if, again, if those accusations and allegations are substantiated by evidence. >> from what you've heard thus

here's more of that conversation that i had with dr. jackson. dr. jackson, can you say anything at all about these allegations that have come out against you in the last few days? >> i will say i was looking forward to the hearing tomorrow. kind of disappointed it's been postponed but looking forward to it getting rescheduled. >> reporter: you have seen allegations, hostile work environment, drinking on the job. are you saying those are categorically untrue? >> i'm saying i'm looking forward to the hearing so we can sit down and i can explain everything to everyone and answer all the senators' questions. >> reporter: was there an i.g. report about the allegations? >> no, there was not. >> reporter: how much vetting of the house before you were formally announced as the nominee? >> i appreciate it. >> reporter: you are going to continue this process, sir? some of the choreography of this, you saw him meeting with senator moran of kansas, the number two republican on the veterans affairs committee. dr. jackson has already met with a lot of the senator

he's dr. jackson's replacement and dr. jackson had always planned to retire this summer. there were rumors he was going to move that up. but it is unclear if he's going to leave the job and that's what the white house is denying, they're pushing back on rumors. he's not taking his old job back in the wake of these allegations. they are pushing back on some of those and some do appear to be false. i do think he's been put in a really difficult position where democratic senator from montana, john tester, essentially released two pages of a anonymous allegations and he hasn't been able to go out and publicly defend himself against him. so really tough spot, but he's not taking back his old job. >> some of the allegations have proven to be false. others still, questions about the fact he's not going back as a personal physician, some republicans are backing up john tester. that tells you something -- >> it is true. >> it is confusing. we don't know. what we do know is that over the weekend, the president decided to attack the democratic senator john tester, the ranking member

on one occasion dr. jackson could not be reached when needed because he was passed out drunk. at a secret service party, jackson got drunk and wrecked a vehicle. jackson denies those things vehemently. as far as the passing out of ambien, unless it's something bigger or more serious as far as the drugs, that happens all the time. >> you raised two good questions, right? democrats could have brought this up in a different way. a product to the white house, said this is what we are seeing and we are going to ask about this in a hearing. they could have done that. the second issue wouldn't happen to have the first one not happen first. the fact that the president did not vet, the white house did not vet him or they would've caught that there were 20 allegations. true or not, they would've caught it and prepped for it and they would've addressed it on the front-end. it fits a narrative and a track record of this white house of being less than careful with vetting. i don't think either side put its best foot forward but i think the white house certainly caused this problem by not d

dr. jackson were troubling, raised lots of questions. but the real blame here falls on the administration for once again being sloppy and careless in the vetting process. dr. jackson didn't go through a careful vet, where some of these things might have been discovered beforehand and he wouldn't have had to go through the process that he went through. the veterans' committee did the right thing, and they didn't seek to go after jackson. people came to them. when people come to them, particularly military folks, with serious and troubling allegations, they have an obligation to investigate. and i want to salute chairman isakson and ranking member tester for pursuing those allegations. it is -- dr. jackson went through a maelstrom, and he should tell his patient, i guess, the president, that he -- the president -- is what caused this problem by not properly vetting, by making these decisions on the fly, by making sure they don't count. our obligation above all is not to any one individual,

dr. jackson was facing an uphill battle to get confirmed before these allegations came out because not just democrats but republicans are concerned about the lack of experience he has running something like that. it is the second largest agency in the federal government and nothing to say about his medical credentials, which a lot of people have said are impeccable, but that doesn't mean you can run the veterans affairs agency. sarah sanders was saying dr. ronny jackson has been thoroughly vetted but as we know, the white house just found out about these allegations made against dr. jackson days ago. the president announced he was picking him to be the next v.a. secretary over a month ago. so it would raise a question of if he's been properly vetted, how did they not find out about these complaints made against dr. jackson in that month or so since then? of course he was the white house doctor in this administration and in the administration prior to this so they meant that kind of vettin

senior white house official described dr. jackson's record as white house physician as impeccable. one source tells nbc news, jackson feels allegations against him are false. another administration source emphasizes this is truly jackson's decision, and the president means it when he says he would stand by his pick. both sources indicate the allegations against jackson include overprescription of medication and workplace environment issues, and both say prior internal white house reviews found nothing out of the ordinary. >>> as revelations trickle out. mitch mcconnell was hesitant to back the nomination, not wanting to comment on what should change with the white house vetting process. >> it is up to the administration to do the vetting. i think those are the kind of questions you ought to direct to them. i assume it will be cleared up. >> the president said that the va secretary may deal with in the senate may not be worth it, suggesting perhaps he would withdraw. have you gotten that signal from the white house? >> i haven't gotten a signal yet. we are waiting for a signal. >> a

dr. ronny jackson held late night meetings at the white house amid reports the administration is considering pulling the nomination. this follows new allegations against dr. jackson that he crashed a government car while he was drunk. abc's tara palmeri has the latest on how jackson is now fighting back this morning. good morning, tara. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and diane. that's right. dr. jackson is fighting to be confirmed, however, there are serious questions about whether he's capable of running the government's second largest agency. president trump's top pick to lead the v.a., dr. ronny jackson facing new claims that while serving as white house doctor he was, quote, flat out unethical. that's according to nearly two dozen of his current and former colleagues who told the senate committee overseeing his hearing that he was, quote, abusive, volatile and the worst officer i ever served with. among the startling accounts of professional misconduct provided to abc news, he was