'Candyman' House Republican says threats to McCarthy’s speakership are 'inevitable'

22 August 2023

United States Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) told former President Donald Trump's erstwhile white nationalist Oval Office adviser Steve Bannon on Tuesday's edition of Bannon's War Roompodcast that challenges to the House speakership of Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-California) are "inevitable" if McCarthy "does not meet conservative demands and requires help from Democrats to avert a government shutdown," The Hill's Miranda Nazzaro reports.

Jackson earned a reputation as a "Candyman" after he allegedly "improperly dispensed pain medication and once wrecked a government vehicle while driving drunk" during his service as Trump's White House physician in 2018, National Public Radio explained at the time.

The accusations were filed by Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee compiled background information on Jackson, whom Trump nominated to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. Although Jackson denied any wrongdoing and the Federal Bureau of Investigation found nothing incriminating, NPR recalled that his confirmation hearing "was indefinitely postponed. Complaints have also been raised that Jackson drank on duty and fostered a hostile work environment."

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Since his election to Congress, Jackson has remained a vocal defender of Trump, his "Big Lie" that he won the 2020 election, and the Make America Great Again political brand. MAGA lawmakers maintain that President Joe Biden's administration is abusing the Department of Justice to persecute Trump, who is charged with ninety-one federal and state felonies.

"It's going to be detrimental to leadership in the House if they blow off the concerns of the people like myself and the Freedom Caucus and some of the other people on the right that are making reasonable demands in this problem," Jackson said. "It's going to be a problem."

Jackson proclaimed that "if we continue to rely on the Democrats to pass important legislation out of the House, it's a real problem for leadership. And I think the way the rules are set up now, that's inevitable that's going to happen."

Nazzaro notes, "Last week, McCarthy told GOP lawmakers the House will likely have to pass a short-term solution known as a continuing resolution to keep the government open past the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Lawmakers have struggled to come to an agreement over appropriations levels as conservatives push to cut spending."

Nazzaro continues, "The conservative House Freedom Caucus said Monday it will oppose any stopgap government funding that does not include policy measures in connection with the border, the 'weaponization' of the Department of Justice and 'woke' policies in the Pentagon."

Nazzaro adds that "any official Freedom Caucus position requires support from at least 80 percent of the group's membership. With around three dozen Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus, they have more than enough votes to sink any party-line measure."

Consequently, Jackson asserted that "McCarthy is going to have to listen to the people on the right or else he's going to have to rely on the Democrats to pass this."

Watch and listen below or at this link.

View Nazzaro's article hereandNPR's here.

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