That ex-Trump and ex-Ted Cruz campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson-- a secessionist, Teabagger and failed 2014 primary candidate-- pulled out of her bid to run for the very competitive open TX-06 seat (south of the Dallas-Ft.Worth metro), isn't even the biggest Texas congressional news of the day. northwest of there, something more interesting is happening-- a Cuomo-like scandal involving freshman Ronny Jackson.
TX-13-- north Texas and the Panhandle-- is one of the reddest districts in America. Trump won it with 79.9% against Hillary and with 79.2% against Biden. An R+33 PVI makes it the safest GOP bastion in Texas. When Mac Thornberry retired after 13 terms, 15 Republicans jumped into the primary to replace him. That produced a runoff between Josh Winegarner, an ultra-conservative lobbyist for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Ronny Jackson, retired rear-Admiral and former White House doctor for Bush, Obama and Señor Trumpanzee-- and a relatively well-known crackpot and violent drunkard. Winegarner led the first round 39,062 (38.9) to 20,048 (20.0%). But Jackson won the runoff 55.6% to 44.4%, guaranteeing that TX-13 would be represented by a controversial and explosive raving lunatic. As any Republican would, he slaughtered the Democrat in November, winning the seat with 79.4% of the vote against Gus Trujillo-- 217,124 to 50,477. That's TX-13. And now they're in for a rough ride.
Trump had nominated Jackson to become Secretary of Veterans Affairs but his was one of the few nominations the Republican Senate just couldn't stomach. 10 days after the nomination in 2018, the flood of professional misconduct charges was so overwhelming that the White House withdrew the ill-conceived nomination, Jackson screaming that the charges were all "false and fabricated."
TX-13 voters didn't care they were getting a drunken pill-popping and abusive sociopath as congressman; he had an "R" next to his name and ran as a Trump fanatic and outspoken anti-masker-- and that's all they care about there. Even Trump was too embarrassed to endorse Jackson but several Trump associates including right-wing operative Bill Stepien worked to elect him. Now he's a congressman screaming that the "inappropriate conduct" charges leveled against him in a newly released report from the Pentagon's inspector general are false and politically-motivated. NBC News:
The scathing report, expected to be released later Wednesday, alleges abusive behavior toward subordinates including sexual harassment.
The inspector general's review, first reported by CNN, says Jackson drank alcohol, made sexual comments to subordinates and took the sedative Ambien while working as White House physician. The watchdog also found that Jackson mistreated subordinates and “disparaged, belittled, bullied and humiliated them.”
...Citing interviews with dozens of former staff, the Pentagon inspector general said Jackson failed to treat his subordinates with dignity and respect. Witnesses described Jackson as screaming over trivial matters, displaying an explosive temper and focused on currying favor with the president.
In one incident, a female subordinate recounted how an intoxicated Jackson knocked on her door during a 2014 trip to Manila, Philippines.
“We asked the female subordinate what she was thinking when RDML Jackson knocked on her door in the middle of the night and said 'I need you,'" the inspector general report said. "She told us that 'when a drunk man comes to your room and they say, ‘I need you,’ your mind goes to the worst. I really felt it was a sexually inappropriate comment.'"
...Jackson also used Ambien during long overseas trips, the report said. This did not appear to violate rules governing his position, but some witnesses told the inspector general that his use of the sedative raised questions about his ability to deliver medical care to U.S. government officials given the side effects of the drug.
In his statement denying the allegations, Jackson said the inspector general report "has resurrected those same false allegations from my years with the Obama administration because I have refused to turn my back on President Trump. Democrats are using this report to repeat and rehash untrue attacks on my integrity, so I want to be clear."
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