Ronny Jackson gets his stars back
Congressman Ronny Jackson when he was a USN rear admiral
We talked about Congressman Ronny Jackson’s 2022 demotion when the news broke of it last year. He was demoted on the retired list to captain in light of a several years old investigation into a hostile work environment he was said to have fostered while serving as the White House Physician. With the change in administration since then, the Congressman’s naval rank has been restored.
From NBC News;
Rep. Ronny Jackson announced that the Navy has restored his retired rank of rear admiral, overturning a 2022 demotion that followed a scathing investigation that found major issues with his behavior while he was the top White House physician.
The Texas Republican on Wednesday posted a June 13 letter from Navy Secretary John Phelan saying he had reinstated Jackson to the retired rank of a one-star admiral following a “review of all applicable reports and references.” The Navy confirmed the move, with a spokesperson for Phelan saying he “greatly appreciates Congressman Jackson’s decades of distinguished naval service.”
The decision to restore Jackson’s rank comes as the Pentagon has become increasingly transparent in offering benefits and consideration to those it sees as personally loyal supporters of President Donald Trump, while those who are seen as unsupportive of Trump have been pushed out of senior roles across the military. Two weeks ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who oversaw the intelligence agency that produced an initial intelligence assessment of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites that angered Trump.
Following his 2019 retirement from the Navy, Jackson was retroactively demoted following a yearslong investigation into his behavior when he was a physician to Trump and former President Barack Obama. An inspector general’s report found that he made “sexual and denigrating” comments about a female subordinate, violated the policy on drinking alcohol on a presidential trip and took prescription-strength sleeping medication that prompted worries from his colleagues about his ability to provide proper medical care.
Jackson gained notoriety for his over-the-top pronouncements about Trump’s health during his first term. He was elected to Congress in 2020 following a failed effort in the first Trump administration to appoint him the secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2018.
“I was, and still am, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, and Joe Biden is a retired old FOOL,” Jackson said on social media, where he has called himself an admiral despite his demotion.
Politics and more politics.
Category: Navy, Veterans in politics, Veterans in the news
Ronny gets his star back and Joe remains the fool.
And still a tool, just a very dull one.
I still recall the “240lb” hysteria. Back then he was likely closer to 265, today probably in 225 range. I am guessing he did like a lot of people and took some weight loss meds. It looks good on him.
The age-old debate of actual rank vs. claimed rank…. Recently, YouTube has blown up with more “vetbro” drama, particularly the not-so-silent former professionals known as special operators, this time pertaining to John “Shrek” McPhee. He’s a former Delta operator and “retired Special Forces SGM”, only he got busted to MSG and had his tab revoked prior to retirement. In my opinion, he can claim “former” all day, but he retired as an Infantry MSG. RDML Jackson’s case is a bit different, as he truly did retire as a RDML and only lost his rank after retirement.
We can agree, disagree, or what have you all we want on what veterans have earned, what they can rightfully claim, and who’s got the biggest wiener in the locker room, but I feel much the same way about the rank game being played with Jackson as I do about the summary firings of “anti-Trump” federal civilians.
It’s 2033, President KaMale Obama-Clinton is now a transman lesbian bigamist (her predecessor Hunter signed a bill legalizing it, just before mistaking a lethal dose of fentanyl for crack–Hillary was seen leaving the area moments before) married to both Chelsea and Malia, and is now the first Black, Asian, Lesbian, Transwoman-of-Color President in the newly minted United Socialist States of America.
Former RADL Jackson is now ENS Jackson, Hegseth is in prison for his insurrectionist attempt to bring a WAR
Departmentto the Pentagon, and Trump is enjoying a privileged life in the brand-new Republic of Florida (I’d be down if my area was still the Republic of West Florida). Meanwhile, Milley has been brought out of retirement to enjoy his new rank of Field Marshal of the Unified Armies of the USSS and China.Oops, too far down the rabbit hole. If rank is here one day and gone the next, at the whim of those wielding political power, what value does that rank hold? If the initial demotion was a hack-job, then his rank being restored is a good thing. If the allegations were founded and Jackson’s rank was taken based solely on the results of the investigation, then his rank being restored is a hack-job.
Over the past decade, the Dems have used lawfare to try to consolidate power, and the last Administration set a precedent for how not to treat a former President and his supporters. Now that former President is back in power and seems hellbent to continue the trend–times infinity. What’s here one day is gone the next, so should we expect a purge of military and federal civilians with each new President?
Then again, maybe this back-and-forth will help some young up-and-comers decide to refrain from getting overly political. It’d be nice to have a military officer concerned solely with his/her military branch and the defense of our nation. The same goes for federal employees who simply go to work, do their job to the best of the ability, and go home… all without feeling the need to be vocally (and especially physically) for or against their bosses in DC.
I just put Boomer’s Sunday to bed, dammit.