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VA nominee Ronny Jackson faces delay while lawmakers vet his record, reports say

Jackson has served as a White House physician since 2006 and was selected to be the chief doctor in the White House medical unit in 2013.
Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Physician to the President U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson meets with Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA) in his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 16, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A Senate confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee to take over the Department of Veterans Affairs could be delayed while lawmakers further vet his record, according to multiple news reports.

The hearing for White House doctor and Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson had been scheduled Wednesday afternoon, but lawmakers want more time to examine information related to his service as a physician.

Jackson has served as a White House physician since 2006 and was selected by President Obama to be the chief doctor in the White House medical unit in 2013.

Trump kept him on the job since taking office, and surprised many by picking him to take over the VA after he ousted former secretary David Shulkin last month.

Jackson has since faced concerns from lawmakers and others about whether he has enough management experience to lead the troubled VA, which has more than 300,000 employees and 1,200 medical facilities across the country.

News of the potential postponement was reported Monday by Politico, CNN and The Washington Post.

The Senate VA committee declined to comment Monday evening. The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Jackson dismissed concerns about his qualifications earlier this month in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

“You know, I’m not just an officer in the Navy; I’m an emergency medicine physician in the military. I’ve been confronted on a day-to-day basis with life and death decisions,” he said. “I think I’ve got what it takes.”

And the White House came to his defense earlier Monday. Press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters “we have confidence” in Jackson.

“He's served our country on the battlefield as well as under three presidents,” she said. “I think it's sad that you've got a few members of Congress who have never managed anything more than a congressional office attacking someone who has served our country, served it admirably.”

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