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Ex-White House doctor running for Congress in Texas

White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson speaks to reporters Jan. 16, 2018, during the daily press briefing in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, in Washington. Jackson, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs withdrew April 26, in the wake of late-surfacing allegations about over-prescribing drugs and poor leadership while serving as a top White House doctor, saying the “false allegations” against him have become a distraction. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
By Michael Brice-Saddler Washington Post

Ronny Jackson, the former Navy officer and White House physician once considered to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, filed Monday to run for a congressional seat in Texas, according to the state’s GOP.

Jackson, a rear admiral who served in Iraq, was serving as President Donald Trump’s physician in April 2018 when he was nominated to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. But he withdrew from consideration after Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, released a two-page summary accusing Jackson of improperly dispensing medication to staff members, drinking on the job and contributing to a hostile work environment during his tenure as White House physician.

The report alleged that Jackson was known by the moniker “Candyman” because he freely distributed medications to White House staff members without paperwork, including the sleep aid Ambien. Jackson denied these assertions, and Trump later called the allegations “false accusations against a great man.”

The Texas Tribune was first to report that Jackson arrived at the Texas GOP headquarters in Austin on Monday, hours before the filing deadline, and submitted documents to run for the congressional seat. The Republican Party of Texas confirmed the report in a Monday afternoon email to The Washington Post.

In February, Trump tapped Jackson to receive a promotion and to be his top medical adviser. CNN reported earlier this month that Jackson had retired from the Navy despite an ongoing investigation into the allegations against him led by the Defense Department’s inspector general.

Jackson, who also served as White House physician under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, is one of 13 candidates vying for a seat in Texas’s heavily Republican 13th District, according to The Tribune. The seat opened when GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, announced plans to retire in September.

Thornberry, a 13-term lawmaker, was one of several members of Texas’s House GOP caucus to announce that they were either retiring, resigning or seeking another office.

During an October rally last year, Trump blamed Tester for Jackson’s failed Veterans Affairs nomination. The president said Tester “led the Democrat mob in the effort to destroy the reputation of a great man.”

But moments later, Trump conceded that Jackson may have lacked the necessary qualifications for the job.

“And he might not have been qualified,” Trump added. “But here’s a doctor at a high level, and he’s a man that everybody respected. I saw that. Respect is so important.”

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The Washington Post’s John Wagner contributed to this report.