White House says 4 FBI background checks never picked up problems with VA nominee

Updated 4:24 p.m.: A summary of incidents involving Dr. Ronny Jackson spells out details of him providing “a large supply” of Percocet to a White House military office staffer, getting drunk at a going-away party and "wrecking a government vehicle,” according to a New York Times piece Wednesday referencing a two-page document from the Democratic staff of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

The report came shortly after Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the White House's continued support of Dr. Jackson amid the swirling allegations, pointing to several previous background checks.

At Wednesday’s press briefing, Sanders said the Veterans Affairs nominee had had four background checks and none of them had picked up on the allegations of misconduct that have surfaced ahead of his confirmation hearing.

A former Navy surgeon and a White House physician since 2006, Jackson was supposed to have his hearing Wednesday, but lawmakers postponed it after allegations of excessive drinking, creating a hostile working environment, and overprescribing pills surfaced.

When asked about the allegations at the briefing, Sanders said Jackson had “received more vetting than most nominees,” noting he’s worked with three presidents.

“None of those things have come up in the four separate background investigations that have taken place,” Sanders said. “There’s been no area of concern that was raised.”

When asked whether Sanders believed the more than 20 military employees who came forward to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee with allegations of misconduct were lying, Sanders deflected the question.

“That’s not what I said,” Sanders said, adding the White House was continuing to evaluate the situation.

READ: All the allegations threatening to derail Ronny Jackson’s Senate confirmation

Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin left after just a year in the role, amid scandals over misuse of funds at the agency, the second largest in the federal government with more than 350,000 employees.

A slew of allegations have come out against Jackson, including that he doled out drugs to staffers on overseas trips and created a hostile work environment. Jackson reportedly banged on the hotel room door of a female employee while intoxicated during a trip overseas in 2015, CNN reported Wednesday.

"We were told stories where he was repeatedly drunk on while duty where his main job was to take care of the most powerful man in the world," Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, the top Democrat on the committee told NPR. "That's not acceptable."

Prominent veterans organizations came out against Jackson when his nomination was first announced in late March, citing fears about his lack of experience and the possibility he wouldn’t stand up to pressure to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Cover image: Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary, leaves Dirksen Building after a meeting on Capitol Hill with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on April 24, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)