White House defending VA secretary pick as senators review allegations against him

The White House is circling the wagons around President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Veterans Affairs secretary, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, as the senators in charge of confirming him say they are still gathering information on allegations against him.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that Jackson's record is "impeccable," while pointing to the praise he received from Presidents Trump and Obama.

"In fact, because he's worked within arm's reach of three presidents, he has received more vetting than most nominees," she said.

The administration has circulated talking points about Jackson with Republican senators to use when asked about him. Under a section titled “On the Democrats’ attempt to smear Dr. Jackson,” the first point advises senators to push back by calling the allegations “false,” then saying that allegations, in general, should be taken seriously but considered during a hearing, not through the media.

The page-and-a-half memo, obtained by ABC News, defends Trump almost as much as it does Jackson, offering context for the president's remarks Tuesday that he would remove himself from consideration if he were in Jackson’s position. “What does he need it for?” Trump asked during a press conference.

“What the President was also telling Dr. Jackson is to make up his own mind and Dr. Jackson has done just that,” the talking points said.

And the memo rejects accusations from some Senate Democrats that the White House did not properly vet Jackson before nominating him.

“I would really push back at the notion that the President needs to do a better job vetting his people,” the memo reads, noting the high marks that President Obama gave Jackson when he was his physician.

Sanders also told reporters Wednesday that the administration was moving forward in its request that Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., reschedule the confirmation hearing, which was originally supposed to happen Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said that he and his staff have been talking to the colleagues of Jackson’s who have been making the allegations against him.

Tester said in a series of interviews Tuesday that the allegations involved Jackson improperly dispensing prescription drugs, intoxication while on the clock and being “abusive towards staff.”

"We've talked to a number of folks that have made these claims. The goal here is to get to the bottom of what has happened with Admiral Jackson because we need the very best person as VA secretary to live up the promises we've made to our veterans," Tester said in an interview with ABC News Wednesday.

Tester, who said "over 20 people" have come forward with allegations about Jackson, said he discussed the nomination with White House chief of staff John Kelly.

"John Kelly said, 'Ya know we need to get this guy confirmed, these claims do not have merit.' and I told him, 'Look, we've got to make that determination and have to do some investigation which is what we're doing right now.'"

"He said they could be without merit, he did not say they were without merit. Could be. And so we're making that determination and we're doing the investigation because there is a pattern of conduct that's been reported to us that is disturbing and we need to find out if it's true or not," Tester said.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of Senate Republican leadership, said that the Senate’s confirmation process will work in such a way that the Senate will be able to acquire all the facts and consider Jackson accordingly.

“I suspect that if he should be confirmed, he will, and if he there are reasons he shouldn't, he won't,” Blunt said.