President Donald Trump on Saturday continued to challenge allegations made against his previous nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs and blasted Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, saying he "should resign" for the part he played in causing Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson to withdraw his nomination.
"Allegations made by Senator Jon Tester against Admiral/Doctor Ron Jackson are proving false. The Secret Service is unable to confirm (in fact they deny) any of the phony Democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful Jackson family. Tester should resign," Trump tweeted Saturday.
In a two-page report released Wednesday by Tester, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he accused Jackson drinking alcohol on the job, improperly prescribing and dispensing medications, and creating a "toxic" work environment.
Trump praised Jackson on Friday, calling him "one of the finest men that I've met in the last long period of time."
He slammed the saga over Jackson's nomination as "an absolute disgrace," since he had been endorsed by former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
"You had President Obama giving him an A-plus report," Trump said Friday at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "You had President Bush giving him an A-plus report.
"You have President Trump giving him an a-plus report.
"To make statements of things that most people said never happened — never even happened, calling him names — was to me a disgrace, an absolute disgrace."
Jackson, 50, who has served as White House physician to three presidents, including Trump, withdrew from consideration for the Veterans Affairs post on Thursday, within 24 hours after the allegation surfaced.