Rep. Ronny Jackson Stripped of Navy Rank, Report Says

The comings and goings of Congress make for a lively news cycle, especially when individuals in Congress have often been part of other organizations. Former White House employees and local politicians have all found themselves in the halls of Congress at one point or the other, and the heightened scrutiny that comes with being a legislator sometimes brings up ghosts from the past.

Representative Jackson Under Scrutiny

One Representative out of Texas, Ronny Jackson, has found himself under heightened scrutiny lately due to allegations of his past. Jackson is a former White House physician who served under Presidents Obama and Trump, and operated as the first Chief Medical Advisor to President Trump in 2019.

Jackson was also a candidate for the United States secretary of veterans affairs in 2018, nominated under former president Donald Trump. His candidacy was withdrawn shortly afterwards, though, amid allegations of misconduct and mismanagement during his service in the White House.

Military Service as a Selling Point

For many, allegations of misconduct would merely be a Tuesday in Washington. For Representative Jackson, though, these allegations interfere with a different and very significant part of his life and identity as a politician.

Jackson is a man who has regularly touted his military service, as well as the accolades that he achieved while in the service. He was in the Navy for nearly three decades, and has used his military service as a selling point while campaigning in the past.

Listed on the Website

Even on his Congressional website, Jackson points to his military service. “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,” he states.

His website has used his former military service as support to his work in veteran’s affairs, and it is experience that he cites often in his work in Congress. Indeed, on paper, the former military man is the postcard for a veteran who cares about his fellow soldiers.

Dishonesty in Public

Selling himself as a former admiral is less than honest for Jackson, though. An investigation that was done into his work in the White House by the Pentagon inspector general revealed some damaging truths about his time as White House physician.

The investigation was made regarding allegations about inappropriate behavior on Jackson’s part. According to the accusations, Jackson berated subordinates in the White House medical unit, and “made sexual and denigrating statements” about a female subordinate.

Jackson Using Drugs on the Clock

Additionally, the accusations alleged that Jackson, in the course of his duty as White House physician, consumed alcohol inappropriately with subordinates and took Ambien while on active duty as the president’s physician.

Ambien is a sleep drug that is well known for its host of significant side effects. Among those side effects are hallucinations, drowsiness, irritability, insomnia, and memory loss. These are just a few of the side effects which make working under the influence of Ambien questionable at best.

Jackson’s White House History

Jackson first arrived at the White House in 2006, where he served as the medical unit’s director between 2010 and 2014. This experience is what placed him in the position to serve as the personal physician to both Trump and Obama, both of whom considered him to be a close friend during his time in their employment.

Former colleagues of Jackson have described his personal work philosophy of providing complimentary, around-the-clock care for numerous White House officials, and even some of their friends and family. While this might seem a kindness, a recent Pentagon investigation revealed that many of the patients who received his care were not eligible for it.

Working for Donald Trump

In his work under Donald Trump, too, Jackson managed to endear himself significantly to the former president. This became especially clear after a January 2018 conference in which Jackson spoke eloquently about Trump’s health, joking with reporters that the former president could “live to be 200 years old.”

Jackson also added that Trump performed exceptionally well during a cognitive fitness test that was performed that same year. The test was ordered in order to counteract growing concerns about the former president’s fitness for office.

Leaving the White House

His tenure in office ended in 2019, as well as his military service. He quit both the White House and the military in order to run for Congress, a long-shot campaign that won due to the support of former President Trump.

After leaving Congress, a Pentagon investigation was launched regarding the allegations against Jackson. Once the allegations were substantiated, the military took action against the former serviceman, demoting him from his closing rank of admiral to captain.

The Details of the Demotion

This is a significant demotion for Jackson, which carries with a great deal of social and financial stigma. For an officer who served 24 years in the Navy, like Jackson, this equates to approximately a $15,000 difference in annual pension payouts.

This payout gap of military pension is projected to widen between the ranks in the coming years, given that the military periodically increases its pay rates for each position. More than the monetary demotion, though, is the social stigma that comes with a demotion after leaving the service altogether.

A Provisional Demotion

Military guidelines allow for a provisional retirement rank if an officer is under investigation for alleged misconduct at the time of demotion. Military officials also have the option to downgrade the final rank if negative findings are made, taking the officer down to the last position that they served in satisfactorily.

Additionally, retired officers are allowed to respond, or appeal the decision according to Navy guidelines. It’s unclear whether Jackson challenged the determination of the Navy secretary in the aftermath of the determination.

Referring to Himself by his Former Rank

Jackson himself has continued to refer to himself by his former rank, both in formal statements like that on his congressional website, and in more casual conversations such as interviews. Fellow Republicans including former President Donald Trump have also continued to refer to Jackson by his former rank, making it unclear whether the demotion is widely known information.

While current Navy spokesmen have refused to officially comment on Jackson’s current rank or whether he was formally demoted in the aftermath of the investigation, some have stated that Jackson referring to himself by his former rank is inappropriate, and not in line with the values that the military holds.

“Politically Motivated”

Jackson has dismissed the investigation against him as politically motivated, stating in his 2022 memoir that his status as a politician is the only reason that his military and White House record have been scrutinized as harshly as they have been.

Jackson has become a leading voice in Congress for his vocal support of Donald Trump. Indeed, he has used his history as White House physician to point out Donald Trump’s competence for office, while using that same experience to slam Biden’s mental fitness for the same job,

A MAGA Voice Going Forward

Jackson, along with supporting Donald Trump in his reelection campaign, is gearing up for another run in Congress himself. He has called for President Biden to undergo a mental fitness test similar to the one that he issued to Trump in 2018, playing on many of the fears of Democrats and Independents ahead of the 2024 election.

Jackson has emerged as a strong voice of the MAGA voter block, as well as the far right in Congress. His public demotion is a humiliation for the former admiral, but doesn’t appear to be impeding his political progress. Regardless of what happens this fall, it seems clear that Jackson will be a loud voice of MAGA, the military, and Donald Trump himself going forward.