Homeless in Arizona

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More of the old "Do as I say, not as I do" from our religious leaders, government masters and police???

Remember boys and girls, the White House says recreational drug use is bad, bad, bad. So don't do illegal drugs.

Well unless you are a member of the White House staff and get your drugs from Dr Ronny Jackson. Doctor Ronny Jackson has lots of good dope, and is know at the White House as the "Candyman" because of the dope he gives out.

Hmmm ... is that Admiral Ronny Jackson who is also an officer in the US Navy?

Admiral Ronny Jackson or Dr. Ronny Jackson is also accused of being a drunk. And of wrecking a government car.

Sorry I don't have anything against drunks, dopers. Well, except the ones who are hypocrites and tell us not to do drugs.

According to this article Admiral Ronny Jackson or Dr. Ronny Jackson has been the White House doctor for 3 President. I guess that means for Bush, Obama and now Trump.

Wow, Presidents must sure be lucky to get their recreational drugs legally without a prescription. Or is that illegally without a prescription. And I bet they get some real good dope.

Some of the folks on Safer Arizona criticize me for my views on legalizing all drugs. But it looks like the White House doctor agrees with that in theory.

Source

President's doctor pulls out as Veterans Affairs nominee amid misconduct allegations

By NOAH BIERMAN and CATHLEEN DECKER APR 26, 2018 | 5:30 AM | WASHINGTON

President Trump's White House physician, Adm. Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs on Thursday, citing the "distraction" from a string of what he termed "completely false and fabricated" allegations.

"While I will forever be grateful for the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me by giving me this opportunity, I am regretfully withdrawing my nomination to be Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs," Jackson wrote in a statement released by the White House.

The White House said he would remain in his current job, at least for now.

"Adm. Jackson is a doctor in the United States Navy assigned to the White House and is here at work today," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Nonetheless, the public airing of charges against Jackson could jeopardize his current position.

His case provides another high-profile example of reputation damage done to someone in Trump's orbit. Other examples include Trump's former press secretary, Sean Spicer, who became the butt of jokes, and Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Jackson served three presidents as a White House doctor and drew high praise from both Trump and former President Obama. But he was an unorthodox pick for the VA job, which requires managing a federal bureaucracy of more than 300,000 employees. He had no previous experience in managing a large staff and had no known positions on the policy issues facing the VA.

Trump, speaking on "Fox and Friends," blamed Jackson's withdrawal on obstructionist Democrats angry that his pick for secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was headed for confirmation.

"He's an admiral, highly respected and a real leader," Trump said of Jackson. "He would have done a great job.

"These are all false accusations. These are false, and they're trying to destroy a man. By the way, I did say 'Welcome to Washington. Welcome to the swamp.' "

Senators in both parties, however, had decided earlier this week to indefinitely postpone a confirmation hearing for Jackson after a series of witnesses, mostly current and former military personnel, contacted congressional staff members with allegations of misconduct.

On both sides of the political aisle, senators also had expressed concern about a lack of proper vetting of the nomination by the White House.

Trump picked Jackson in late March after minimal consultation with his staff, and as former colleagues began to come forward in recent days with allegations of misconduct, White House officials seemed caught unawares.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the senior Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said this week that 23 individuals had contacted the committee with allegations against Jackson that included drunkenness on the job, poor management and over-prescribing of drugs.

Tester's staff released a summary of the allegations earlier this week, including accusations that Jackson had dispensed Percocet, a narcotic, inappropriately and that he had gotten drunk and "wrecked a government vehicle" at a goodbye party for a Secret Service member.

Jackson has denied some of the accusations, including the one about wrecking a car. Thursday, he issued a blanket criticism of his accusers but did not respond to the specifics.

"Going into this process, I expected tough questions about how to best care for our veterans, but I did not expect to have to dignify baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity," he said.

"The allegations against me are completely false and fabricated," he added. "If they had any merit, I would not have been selected, promoted and entrusted to serve in such a sensitive and important role as physician to three presidents over the past 12 years."

Trump made a similar blanket denial in his "Fox & Friends" comments.

"There's no proof of this, and he has a perfect record. He's got this beautiful record, unblemished," Trump said.

The president added that he had a replacement candidate in mind: "somebody great … somebody with political capability."

And he took aim at Tester, who is running for reelection this year in a state that Trump won in 2016.

"I think Jon Tester has to have a big price to pay in Montana," he said.

Trump campaigned on improving the VA, which has faced a slew of management problems for years.

Just hours after Jackson withdrew, Trump held an event at the White House honoring wounded veterans, underscoring the real-world impact the VA has. Surrounded by dozens of disabled veterans, Trump spoke about their unshakable will in the face of hardship and made a "sacred commitment."

"My pledge to you, our noble warriors, is that my administration will support you and your loved ones and your amazing families every single day, now and always," he said.

Trump, speaking from a teleprompter, did not mention Jackson. But he paused and raised his voice as he praised the VA's acting secretary, Robert Wilkie, a late add to the guest list, for "doing a great job over at the VA."

Trump also recognized the fourth anniversary of the scandal at a VA hospital in Phoenix that highlighted concerns over patient care and wait times around the country. He emphasized his response, including a measure passed into law that makes it easier to fire employees.

"We must make sure that this kind of tragedy never, ever happens again," Trump said.

Given the immense management challenges at the VA, Jackson's lack of management experience had become an issue in the Senate even before the misconduct allegations surfaced.

Those concerns deepened after senators saw a 2012 inspector general's report detailing "unprofessional behaviors," poor morale and a "toxic" unsustainable atmosphere at the White House medical office. That report may have been as damaging to Jackson's prospects among Republican senators as the more salacious allegations of drinking on the job.

In the wake of those allegations, few Republicans on Capitol Hill defended him, with some complaining that the White House had not done enough to answer their questions.

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) devoted his morning remarks on the Senate floor Thursday to "Democrats slow-walking" Trump's nominees, but did not mention Jackson.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a disabled Iraq War veteran, blamed Trump for creating "needless chaos" by firing David Shulkin, the former VA secretary.

"His rash decision to replace Dr. Shulkin with someone so clearly unprepared for the job only made the problem worse," she said.

Nor did Jackson receive particularly strong support from veterans groups.

Earlier in the week, Trump said publicly that he did not know why Jackson was putting himself through the stress of the nomination, comments that foretold Thursday's withdrawal.

"I told Adm. Jackson just a little while ago … I said, 'What do you need this for?' " Trump said Tuesday.

Thursday, he cited his prescience, recounting his conversation with Jackson.

"I even told him a day or two ago I saw where this is going," Trump said.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington »

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

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Colbert Nails Exactly Why Trump Is Sticking With His ‘Candyman’ White House Doc

“Late Show” host thinks they might have something in common.

By Ed Mazza

5:56 PM - Apr 25, 2018

Stephen Colbert says he knows why President Donald Trump is so far standing by Ronny Jackson, the White House doctor he named to run the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jackson’s confirmation hearings have been put on hold as accusations over his conduct have surfaced, including reports he crashed a government car while drunk and was once passed out in his hotel room when needed.

He’s also accused of passing around prescription drugs, which led to him being nicknamed “Candyman,” according to a report released Wednesday by the office of Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the ranking member on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Trump, however, defended Jackson as “one of the finest people that I have met,” and on Wednesday night’s “Late Show,” Colbert said he thinks he knows why.