Navy reverses demotion of Rep. Ronny Jackson, former White House doctor

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.”

Following his 2019 retirement from the Navy, Jackson was retroactively demoted following a yearslong investigation into his behavior. The 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.

While Jackson served both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, he gained notoriety for his over-the-top pronouncements about Trump’s health during his first term.

“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.

Jackson 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.

The decision to restore Jackson’s rank comes as the Pentagon is becoming increasingly transparent in offering benefits and consideration to those it sees as loyal supporters.

Last week, military officials revealed that Ashli Babbitt, the rioter who was killed by an officer in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, would be offered military funeral honors.

Babbitt was a U.S. Air Force veteran from California who was shot and killed wearing a Trump campaign flag wrapped around her shoulders while trying to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby inside the Capitol.

At the same time, those who are seen as disloyal have been punished. 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.