Ronny Jackson not to return to job as Trump's personal doctor: reports

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Ronny Jackson, who withdrew his nomination by U.S. President Donald Trump to head the Veterans' Affairs Department, will not return to his previous job as Trump's personal physician, local media reported Sunday.

Sean Conley, a navy veteran who took over Jackson's responsibilities as Trump's personal doctor after the latter's nomination last month, will remain in the role, the reports said, quoting White House sources.

However, Jackson, a rear admiral, will remain on the staff of the White House medical unit, they added.

Jackson withdrew his nomination Thursday, two days after Senator Jon Tester, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, detailed allegations against Jackson, including creating a hostile workplace, drinking while on duty, and improperly prescribing the opiate painkiller Percocet to White House staff. Jackson has denied all the allegations.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted that the allegations were "not true".

"There were no such findings," he tweeted. "A horrible thing that we in D.C. must live with, just like phony Russian Collusion."

Jackson has been serving as a White House physician since 2006. In 2013, he was selected by then President Barack Obama to be the chief doctor in the White House medical unit. Trump retained him since taking office in January 2017.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs has more than 300,000 employees and 1,200 medical facilities across the country. Enditem