Navy demoted Ronny Jackson after probe into White House behavior [View all]

Source: Washington Post

Navy demoted Ronny Jackson after probe into White House behavior

By Dan Diamond and Alex Horton
March 7, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EST



Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.) served as personal physician to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump between 2013 and 2018. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

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Ronny Jackson, the former White House physician turned GOP congressman, regularly touts his military bona fides. ... "As a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with nearly three decades of military service I understand the commitment and sacrifices made by servicemen and servicewomen to serve our country," the two-term Texas representative writes on his congressional website, posted to a page listing his work on veterans issues. {1}

But Jackson is no longer a retired admiral. The Navy demoted him in July 2022 following a damaging Pentagon inspector general's report that substantiated allegations about his inappropriate behavior as a White House physician, a previously unreported decision confirmed by a current defense official and a former U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive personnel move. {2} ... Jackson is now a retired Navy captain, those people said -- a demotion that carries significant financial burden in addition to the social stigma of stripped rank in military circles.

Despite the demotion, Jackson has continued to refer to himself as a retired rear admiral, including in statements released since the Navy reclassified him as a retired captain. Former president Donald Trump and other Republicans have also continued to publicly describe Jackson using his former rank; it's unclear if they were aware of his demotion.

Jackson's office did not respond to requests for comment about the Navy's 2022 personnel action and his demotion.

{snip}

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By Dan Diamond
Dan Diamond is a national health reporter for The Washington Post. He joined The Post in 2021 after five years at Politico, where he won a George Polk award for investigating the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter https://twitter.com/ddiamond

By Alex Horton
Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Washington Post focused on the U.S. military. He served in Iraq as an Army infantryman. Twitter https://twitter.com/AlexHortonTX

{1} https://jackson.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=14920

{2} https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/03/03/ronny-jackson-report-dod/

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/07/ronny-jackson-demotion-white-house-medical-unit-navy/

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It looks as if this happened two years ago, but the news is just now getting out.

It's as if he's trying to hide something .