US Cabinet Shake Up: Ronny Jackson nominated to replace VA Secretary David Shulkin
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US President Donald Trump shook up his cabinet once again on Wednesday. He sacked embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and nominated White House doctor Ronny Jackson as his successor. John Terrett has the details.
JOHN TERRETT WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump moving to fire the troubled head of the equally troubled Veterans Affairs Department on Wednesday - the organization responsible for looking after former military personnel.
David Shulkin - the only holdover from former President Obama's cabinet - was fired by Tweet!
"I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs."
Shulkin has been dogged by scandal lately - including taking an all expenses 10-day trip to Europe with his wife last year - and scathing reports into the way several VA clinics are run.
For the time being, a former congressional aide - now at the Defense Department will step in as acting head of the VA.
The new permanent head of the VA, pending confirmation, will be Admiral Ronny Jackson - the White House physician.
He's the man who gave President Trump his physical back in January - the man who stood in the White House briefing room and pronounced Trump was healthy and mentally very sharp - for which he took some heat.
Jackson takes over as head of one of the biggest bureaucracies in the world - one of the biggest healthcare providers on the planet - one of the biggest political targets - when it comes to election time.
This is the latest in a string of comings and goings at the White House since President Trump took office 15 months ago and by many accounts, it's not going to be the last.
John Terrett, CGTN, Washington.