SNAG

Top Dem: Ronny Jackson’s VA Confirmation Hearing Postponed

Amid information senators have received about prospective Veterans Affairs chief.

The Senate confirmation hearing for Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of veterans’ affairs, has been postponed as lawmakers review potentially damaging allegations against Jackson, according to a top Democratic senator. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told The Daily Beast that the hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, would be delayed. The chairman and ranking member of the committee, Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Jon Tester (D-MT), later confirmed the postponement, adding that they sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday asking for information on “improper conduct” regarding Jackson’s tenure as the White House physician. Senior White House officials, including top aides on legislative strategy, are planning an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss next steps and how to best apply pressure on the congressional side to salvage Jackson’s nomination, according to two administration officials. One official noted that while the position of the White House is to stand firm on Jackson, efforts to prop up Jackson could “implode” at any moment. A source familiar with the matter previously told The Daily Beast that the committee was “investigating serious allegations against [Jackson] that could delay his hearing.” Lawmakers have been mum about the nature of the allegations, which reportedly involve Jackson’s workplace behavior.

—Andrew Desiderio & Asawin Suebsaeng