- Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician, was demoted by the US Navy.
- The demotion followed an inspector general report which said he belittled and bullied staff.
- He has continued to refer to himself as a retired rear admiral.
The Navy demoted Rep. Ronny Jackson, the former White House physician who is now a GOP congressman, because of allegations of inappropriate behavior, a new report says.
Jackson, who calls himself a “retired US Navy Rear Admiral with nearly three decades of military service” on his website, was demoted in July 2022 in a previously unreported decision, The Washington Post said.
He was demoted to retired Navy captain following a damning 2021 inspector general report which said he belittled and bullied staff and engaged in inappropriate behavior.
The report includes allegations that he engaged in alcohol-related misconduct, misused Ambien for his personal use, and made “sexual and denigrating statements” to a female subordinate, among other claims.
ackson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was made outside normal working hours.
Jackson’s demotion was confirmed to The Washington Post by a current defense official and a former US official speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It would mean that Jackson would likely lose more than $15,000 in annual pension payouts, according to an estimate by Katherine L. Kuzminski, a military policy expert at the Center for a New American Security, per The Post.
Despite being demoted, Jackson continues to refer to himself as a rear admiral on his website and in statements, which Kuzminski said was inappropriate.
“While it is possible that others will mistakenly refer to him as ‘Admiral’ in perpetuity, he himself should not make that mistake,” she said.
Jackson served as physician to the President from 2013 to 2018 under Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
He maintained a close relationship with former President Donald Trump, and has been vocal in his assessment that Trump has “absolutely no cognitive or mental issues whatsoever” in response to continued questions about his age and mental fitness for office.
He became a Republican congressman for Texas in 2021.
