WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Friday nominated Columbia University law professor Robert Jackson, an advocate for public disclosure of political spending by companies, for a vacant seat on the five-member U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Columbia University law professor Robert Jackson to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Jackson is expected to be formally nominated on Friday, the source said. He would fill a vacant spot reserved for a Democrat on the five-member panel.

His appointment follows the administration’s decision to nominate Hester Peirce as a Republican commissioner in July and would bring the SEC to full strength and paving the way for Chairman Jay Clayton to push ahead on an agenda of reducing public companies’ regulatory burdens.

Jackson could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Jackson is known for his advocacy work in trying to advance new rules at the SEC that would force public companies to disclose their political spending to investors. </s> Trump Names Two More For FTC Posts

Law360, New York (January 25, 2018, 4:41 PM EST) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated a senior vice president for Delta Airlines and the chief counsel of the Senate majority whip to serve as members of the Federal Trade Commission, leaving just one open commissioner spot if all of Trump's four nominees are confirmed.



The five-seat commission has been hampered by an unprecedented number of vacancies since early last year, when former FTC Chairman Edith Ramirez resigned. (AP) In a statement Thursday, the White House said Trump has nominated Christine S. Wilson for a commissioner...

To view the full article, register now. </s> Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump's choice to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, has withdrawn his nomination. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(RNN) – Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician and President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, has withdrawn himself from the confirmation process after multiple allegations of improper behavior.

In a statement from the White House, Jackson said he did not expect to have to dignify "baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity." He called the claims against him false and fabricated, according to the Associated Press.

Jackson continues to serve as the White House physician. Trump nominated him to replace former VA Secretary David Shulkin, who was fired in March.

The president praised Jackson on a phone interview Thursday with "Fox and Friends," saying he would have done a great job.

Lawmakers found the nomination a surprising move, going from a role of doctor for one to a bureaucrat overseeing 360,000 staffers to take care of around 9 million U.S. veterans. And that was before accounts of questionable behavior on Jackson’s part emerged.

Jackson has been accused of recklessly prescribing medication, acting abusively toward colleagues and being intoxicated while on call – in one case being "passed out drunk in his hotel room" when his medical help was needed.

Once he was accused of getting drunk and wrecking a government vehicle. Another time he was accused of getting drunk and banging on the hotel room door of a female employee during an overseas trip.

Jackson was reportedly given the nickname "Candyman," for the way he handed out drugs, according to a summary report compiled by Democratic staff on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee released Wednesday. The report was based on conversations with 23 of Jackson’s colleagues at the White House Medical Unit.

Jackson denied the allegations and had said he’s looking forward to "answering everybody’s questions." Trump said in his interview there would be "a big price to pay in Montana" for Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who headed the committee report and is running for re-election.

Multiple outlets reported Wednesday evening that Jackson met with the White House press team. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called the meeting a "debrief" after Jackson met with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill earlier Wednesday.

President Trump and his aides were discussing the possibility that Jackson could withdraw his nomination, though White House officials said the decision was Jackson’s to make.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee had set Jackson’s confirmation hearing for Wednesday, but indefinitely postponed the hearing after the allegations came out.

Jackson also served as the physician to presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas in 1995, the same year he began his active duty Naval service. He was chosen as the White House physician in 2006 while deployed in Iraq. </s> Washington, Mar 28 (EFE).- President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate his White House physician, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, to head the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), replacing current VA Secretary David Shulkin, whose reputation has been tarnished because of several scandals.



“I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs….” Trump said on his Twitter account.



Until the Senate can vote on confirming Jackson, a top Pentagon official – Robert Wilkie – will head the agency on an interim basis, Trump said.



“I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!” the president added in a pair of tweets.



Jackson is known for the press conference he held last January after Trump underwent a medical exam, saying that the president was in “excellent” health, “has incredibly good genes” and is fully able to carry out the duties of president.



Shulkin’s departure from the VA had been rumored for weeks because he had generated headlines over his ethical conflicts last July, when he took advantage of an official trip to Europe to attend the tennis tournament at Wimbledon in the United Kingdom.



On that visit, Shulkin accepted some tickets to the tourney even though their value exceeded the limit established by the administration regarding gifts to public officials, and last September he pressured the White House so that his wife could accompany him – at government expense, although he paid for her trip when the ethical issue became public – to the Invictus Games in Toronto.



Regarding the 50-year-old Jackson, Trump said in a statement that he is “highly trained and qualified and as a service member himself, he has seen firsthand the tremendous sacrifice our veterans make and has a deep appreciation for the debt our great country owes them.”



Jackson has been the White House physician for three US presidents – George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump – and in 2005, before beginning his tenure at the presidential residence – he was deployed to Iraq as an emergency combat physician.



To date, Wilkie was undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, in which capacity he worked on issues linked to the healthcare and quality of life for military families.



The ouster of Shulkin comes as one of a series of recent cabinet changes by Trump, who in March has nominated a new secretary of state (Mike Pompeo), a new CIA director (Gina Haspel) and a new national security adviser (John Bolton). </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump's pick to be secretary of Veterans Affairs (all times local):

Veterans Affairs nominee Dr. Ronny Jackson spent a late night at the White House huddled with top press aides.

The president's personal physician on Wednesday spent about 45 minutes meeting with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, deputy Raj Shah and others as allegations surface that threaten to sink his nomination. Sanders said the group had been discussing Jackson's meetings on Capitol Hill.

Senate Democrats released a summary of accusations that included claims he recklessly prescribed drugs.

Shah said on CNN earlier that White House aides are "of course" preparing for the possibility that Jackson may decide to withdraw his nomination.

But Jackson appeared in good spirits as he left the meeting, telling reporters he looks "forward to talking to you guys over the next couple of days."

Embattled Veterans Affairs nominee Dr. Ronny Jackson is denying allegations he was involved in a drunken car wreck.

Jackson tells reporters at the White House he "never wrecked a car." He adds, "I have no idea where that is coming from." He says he's moving forward with his nomination.

The VA nominee is responding after Senate Democrats released a summary of allegations against Jackson that includes claims he recklessly prescribed drugs, had his own private stock of controlled substances and got drunk and crashed a government car.

The White House has rallied behind Jackson, pointing to his past work as a physician to Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

A summary of allegations against President Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Veterans Affairs says he recklessly prescribed drugs, had his own private stock of controlled substances and got drunk and crashed a government car.

The summary was released by Democrats as the White House rallied behind Dr. Ronny Jackson.

Based on conversations with 23 of Jackson's colleagues and former colleagues, the review says Jackson was nicknamed "Candyman" by White House staff because he would provide prescriptions without paperwork. Drugs he prescribed included Ambien, used for sleep, and Provigil, used to help wake up.

The colleagues and former colleagues also told congressional staffers that there were multiple incidents of drunkenness on duty and said Jackson got drunk at a Secret Service going-away party and wrecked a government car.

Jackson says he "never wrecked a car."

The chairman of a Senate panel reviewing President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs says the nominee will get a hearing to address complaints made against him of "unprofessional behaviors."

Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson says White House physician Ronny Jackson "deserves a hearing and he's going to get it."

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee indefinitely postponed Jackson's confirmation hearing, which had been scheduled for Wednesday. It cited a need for more time to investigate complaints made by current and former employees of Jackson about his fitness to be VA secretary.

With Congress set to recess Friday for a week, the earliest a hearing could be held would be in about 10 days.

Jackson denies allegations of bad behavior and says he's looking forward to "answering everybody's questions."

The White House is defending Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson, insisting the longtime White House doctor has been more thoroughly vetted than most nominees.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says that, "Dr. Jackson's record as a White House physician has been impeccable."

And she says he's received more vetting than most nominees due to his close proximity to the last three presidents.

Still, Sanders says the White House is, "continuing to look at the situation."

Jackson is fighting to salvage his imperiled nomination amid accusations that include repeated drunkenness and creating a "toxic" work environment at the White House.

President Donald Trump has suggested publicly that Jackson may want to withdraw, citing what Trump calls unfair scrutiny.

President Donald Trump is sending mixed signals about the future of his nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Trump suggested during a news conference Tuesday that White House physician Ronny Jackson may want to withdraw amid questions about his professional and personal behavior. In private, the president is said to be urging Jackson to keep fighting for confirmation.

Jackson has given no indication that he will take himself out of consideration for the VA job.

A watchdog report requested in 2012 and reviewed by The Associated Press found that Jackson and a rival physician exhibited "unprofessional behaviors" as they engaged in a power struggle over the White House medical unit.

A Senate committee has revealed separate allegations of improper prescribing of drugs and the use of alcohol. </s> MEMPHIS, Tenn. — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he plans to nominate Christopher A. Wray to be the next FBI director.

President Trump’s announcement comes one day before former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired last month, is set to testify in a bombshell hearing before the Senate.

“I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

Wray headed up the Justice Department’s criminal division from 2003 to 2005 under President George W. Bush and is currently a litigation partner at the DC-based law firm King & Spalding, where he chairs the firm’s Special Matters and Government Investigations Practice Group. </s> Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson has withdrawn as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said in a statement Thursday morning.

His nomination was hampered by a flurry of allegations about Jackson’s professional conduct.

In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Jackson slammed allegations of improper behavior leveled against him as “completely false and fabricated.”

“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,” Jackson said. “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.”

Jackson said he was motivated to withdraw from consideration because the allegations against him “have become a distraction” for Trump and his agenda.

“Unfortunately, because of how Washington works, these false allegations have become a distraction for this President and the important issue we must be addressing — how we give the best care to our nation’s heroes,” Jackson said. “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.”

On Wednesday evening, the release of a two-page document written by Democratic staff on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that included a list of allegations from the committee’s conversations with nearly two dozen of Jackson’s former and current colleagues made Jackson’s chances at survival more uncertain.

According to the summary released by Senate Democrats — the contents of which remain under investigation by lawmakers and have not yet been substantiated — Jackson was allegedly “abusive” to his colleagues, loosely handled prescription pain medications and was periodically intoxicated, even once wrecking a government vehicle while drunk.

Jackson has not responded to the allegations in their totality, but told reporters on Wednesday that he did not wreck the government car and had indicated at the time that he planned to continue in the nominating process.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee had raised concerns this week about allegations involving Jackson, the White House physician, and had started to review the allegations in an effort to determine whether they were sufficient to upend his nomination.

Jackson had been expected to appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a confirmation hearing, but that hearing was postponed indefinitely as members were assessing allegations about the White House physician’s behavior.

Whistleblowers who spoke to the panel described a “toxic” work environment under Jackson’s leadership and questionable behavior, including excessive drinking, CNN has reported.

On Wednesday, before the allegations from the Democratic staff of the veterans’ panel became public, the White House mounted a robust defense of Jackson, with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders telling reporters he had an “impeccable” record. Sanders suggested that Jackson’s current position as the White House physician meant that he had been more thoroughly vetted than other Cabinet nominees.

At one point on Wednesday, Trump raised the prospect of going into the briefing room himself to stick up for Jackson, to say that he is a good guy and had his support. But several senior administration officials, including Sanders, advised against that move.

But later Wednesday, after the allegations included in that Democratic document were released, Trump himself began to wonder out loud whether Jackson should step aside “before things get worse” and White House aides were preparing for that possibility, officials told CNN.

Jackson’s withdrawal marks the most recent setback for Trump’s Cabinet, which has had a high rate of turnover. A number of Cabinet officials have faced criticism and scrutiny over their spending habits and ethical judgement, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Jackson also isn’t the first nominee to withdraw. Andrew Puzder pulled his namefrom consideration last year to become labor secretary after facing intense opposition to his nomination.

Trump had defended Jackson even after the allegations against him surfaced.

On Tuesday, the President called Jackson “one of the finest people I have ever met.” Trump said he was not aware of the specifics of the allegations and added that it was up to Jackson to decide whether to press forward. “It’s totally his decision,” the President said, adding, “I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and disgusting.”

But Trump also acknowledged that Jackson lacks a background in running a government agency.

“There’s a lack of experience,” he said.

When Trump announced his intent to nominate Jackson in March, the decision came as a surprise on Capitol Hill, where members on both sides of the aisle raised questions about whether Jackson was qualified to lead the sprawling Department of Veterans Affairs. While Jackson served as White House physician under three presidents, his policy views were relatively unknown and some lawmakers expressed concern over whether he had the managerial experience necessary to steer the department.

Trump announced his intention to nominate Jackson as a replacement for David Shulkin, in a presidential tweet last month. Shulkin became embroiled in controversy of his own after the VA inspector general released a damaging report accusing him and other department personnel of “serious derelictions,” but was also locked in a policy-based power struggle with members of his staff and political appointees. Trump later said he was dissatisfied with the “speed with which our veterans were taken care of” under Shulkin’s leadership.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Jackson started active-duty naval service in 1995, according to his official US Navy biography. He was chosen to serve as White House physician in 2006 during the administration of George W. Bush, and later served as the physician for then-President Barack Obama.

In January, Jackson made headlines after declaring he had “no concerns” about Trump’s cognitive ability after the President underwent a neurological screening. Jackson’s performance during that extended news conference played a part in Trump’s decision to nominate him to lead the VA, a White House official told CNN.

Tuesday, the Senate committee’s top Democrat, Montana’s Jon Tester, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that around 20 people had raised concerns to the committee about Jackson, and according to those people, Jackson would hand out prescriptions “like candy.”

Tester described reports to the committee that alleged that on overseas trips, Jackson would “go down the aisle way of the airplane and say, ‘All right, who wants to go to sleep?’ And hand out the prescription drugs like they were candy … and put them to sleep and then give them the drugs to wake them back up again.”

“These are called controlled substances for a reason,” Tester said on “Anderson Cooper 360.”

The White House doctor also faced allegations of being drunk while overseas with then-President Barack Obama.

“If you are drunk and something happens with the President, it’s very difficult to go in and treat the President,” Tester said. “That’s what multiple people told us, this was the case on several different trips.”

Other concerns about Jackson included allegations of a toxic work environment, the senator confirmed.

“We were told time and time again the people above him he treated like gold, the people below him, he belittled, screamed at them, really created a very toxic environment to the point where the people who worked around him felt like they had to walk on eggshells because of his lack of respect for his job,” Tester said.

In a letter to Trump sent Tuesday, the senators requested information “regarding allegations or incidents” involving Jackson dating to 2006, the year he was tapped to become White House physician.

One source on the committee told CNN prior to Jackson’s withdrawal that lawmakers were also requesting information from the FBI, including Jackson’s background check. Tester later said the FBI background investigation into Jackson was “clean.”

Congressional sources also told CNN that committee aides had been in touch with individuals associated with additional allegations about prescriptions handled by the White House Medical Unit, which oversees the medical care of the president and administration aides.

While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to make improvements at the Veterans Affairs Department, including reducing wait times for care, upgrading technology and taking steps to facilitate access to private care.

Since his dismissal, Shulkin has warned against privatizing veterans’ health care. In a statement released in early April, the VA shot down the idea, saying “there is no effort underway to privatize” veterans’ care and that “to suggest otherwise is completely false.”

Ronny Jackson withdraws as VA secretary nominee

 26 APR 18 08:09 ET

 By Clare Foran, Juana Summers and Jeremy Diamond, CNN

 (CNN) — Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson has withdrawn as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, he said in a statement Thursday morning.

His nomination was hampered by a flurry of allegations about Jackson’s professional conduct.

In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Jackson slammed allegations of improper behavior leveled against him as “completely false and fabricated.”

“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,” Jackson said. “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.”

Jackson said he was motivated to withdraw from consideration because the allegations against him “have become a distraction” for Trump and his agenda.

“Unfortunately, because of how Washington works, these false allegations have become a distraction for this President and the important issue we must be addressing — how we give the best care to our nation’s heroes,” Jackson said. “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.”

On Wednesday evening, the release of a two-page document written by Democratic staff on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that included a list of allegations from the committee’s conversations with nearly two dozen of Jackson’s former and current colleagues made Jackson’s chances at survival more uncertain.

According to the summary released by Senate Democrats — the contents of which remain under investigation by lawmakers and have not yet been substantiated — Jackson was allegedly “abusive” to his colleagues, loosely handled prescription pain medications and was periodically intoxicated, even once wrecking a government vehicle while drunk.

Jackson has not responded to the allegations in their totality, but told reporters on Wednesday that he did not wreck the government car and had indicated at the time that he planned to continue in the nominating process.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee had raised concerns this week about allegations involving Jackson, the White House physician, and had started to review the allegations in an effort to determine whether they were sufficient to upend his nomination.

Jackson had been expected to appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a confirmation hearing, but that hearing was postponed indefinitely as members were assessing allegations about the White House physician’s behavior.

Whistleblowers who spoke to the panel described a “toxic” work environment under Jackson’s leadership and questionable behavior, including excessive drinking, CNN has reported.

On Wednesday, before the allegations from the Democratic staff of the veterans’ panel became public, the White House mounted a robust defense of Jackson, with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders telling reporters he had an “impeccable” record. Sanders suggested that Jackson’s current position as the White House physician meant that he had been more thoroughly vetted than other Cabinet nominees.

At one point on Wednesday, Trump raised the prospect of going into the briefing room himself to stick up for Jackson, to say that he is a good guy and had his support. But several senior administration officials, including Sanders, advised against that move.

But later Wednesday, after the allegations included in that Democratic document were released, Trump himself began to wonder out loud whether Jackson should step aside “before things get worse” and White House aides were preparing for that possibility, officials told CNN.

Jackson’s withdrawal marks the most recent setback for Trump’s Cabinet, which has had a high rate of turnover. A number of Cabinet officials have faced criticism and scrutiny over their spending habits and ethical judgement, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Jackson also isn’t the first nominee to withdraw. Andrew Puzder pulled his name from consideration last year to become labor secretary after facing intense opposition to his nomination.

Trump had defended Jackson even after the allegations against him surfaced.

On Tuesday, the President called Jackson “one of the finest people I have ever met.” Trump said he was not aware of the specifics of the allegations and added that it was up to Jackson to decide whether to press forward. “It’s totally his decision,” the President said, adding, “I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and disgusting.”

But Trump also acknowledged that Jackson lacks a background in running a government agency.

“There’s a lack of experience,” he said.

When Trump announced his intent to nominate Jackson in March, the decision came as a surprise on Capitol Hill, where members on both sides of the aisle raised questions about whether Jackson was qualified to lead the sprawling Department of Veterans Affairs. While Jackson served as White House physician under three presidents, his policy views were relatively unknown and some lawmakers expressed concern over whether he had the managerial experience necessary to steer the department.

Trump announced his intention to nominate Jackson as a replacement for David Shulkin, in a presidential tweet last month. Shulkin became embroiled in controversy of his own after the VA inspector general released a damaging report accusing him and other department personnel of “serious derelictions,” but was also locked in a policy-based power struggle with members of his staff and political appointees. Trump later said he was dissatisfied with the “speed with which our veterans were taken care of” under Shulkin’s leadership.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Jackson started active-duty naval service in 1995, according to his official US Navy biography. He was chosen to serve as White House physician in 2006 during the administration of George W. Bush, and later served as the physician for then-President Barack Obama.

In January, Jackson made headlines after declaring he had “no concerns” about Trump’s cognitive ability after the President underwent a neurological screening. Jackson’s performance during that extended news conference played a part in Trump’s decision to nominate him to lead the VA, a White House official told CNN.

Tuesday, the Senate committee’s top Democrat, Montana’s Jon Tester, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that around 20 people had raised concerns to the committee about Jackson, and according to those people, Jackson would hand out prescriptions “like candy.”

Tester described reports to the committee that alleged that on overseas trips, Jackson would “go down the aisle way of the airplane and say, ‘All right, who wants to go to sleep?’ And hand out the prescription drugs like they were candy … and put them to sleep and then give them the drugs to wake them back up again.”

“These are called controlled substances for a reason,” Tester said on “Anderson Cooper 360.”

The White House doctor also faced allegations of being drunk while overseas with then-President Barack Obama.

“If you are drunk and something happens with the President, it’s very difficult to go in and treat the President,” Tester said. “That’s what multiple people told us, this was the case on several different trips.”

Other concerns about Jackson included allegations of a toxic work environment, the senator confirmed.

“We were told time and time again the people above him he treated like gold, the people below him, he belittled, screamed at them, really created a very toxic environment to the point where the people who worked around him felt like they had to walk on eggshells because of his lack of respect for his job,” Tester said.

In a letter to Trump sent Tuesday, the senators requested information “regarding allegations or incidents” involving Jackson dating to 2006, the year he was tapped to become White House physician.

One source on the committee told CNN prior to Jackson’s withdrawal that lawmakers were also requesting information from the FBI, including Jackson’s background check. Tester later said the FBI background investigation into Jackson was “clean.”

Congressional sources also told CNN that committee aides had been in touch with individuals associated with additional allegations about prescriptions handled by the White House Medical Unit, which oversees the medical care of the president and administration aides.

While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to make improvements at the Veterans Affairs Department, including reducing wait times for care, upgrading technology and taking steps to facilitate access to private care.

Since his dismissal, Shulkin has warned against privatizing veterans’ health care. In a statement released in early April, the VA shot down the idea, saying “there is no effort underway to privatize” veterans’ care and that “to suggest otherwise is completely false.” </s> WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is firing Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and replacing him with the White House doctor in the wake of a bruising ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the VA.

 

Trump tweets that he intends to nominate "highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs."

 

Trump says Robert Wilkie, an undersecretary at the Defense Department, will serve as acting VA secretary until Jackson is confirmed.

 

Shulkin is the second Cabinet secretary to depart over controversies involving expensive travel, following former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price's resignation last September.

 

Trump says he is "thankful for Dr. David Shulkin's service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!"
President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Columbia University law professor Robert Jackson to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission.