Trump’s former White House doctor allegedly spent almost $20K in donor money at exclusive club

25 June 2024

The House Ethics Committee is reportedly looking into Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) amid a new report that he allegedly spent thousands of dollars in campaign donations at an exclusive club.

According to the Independent, Jackson has, since 2020 reportedly spent $6,839.18 on membership fees at the members-only Amarillo Club restaurant, and another $11,928.27 on "fees, meals and other services." This money allegedly came from his "Texans for Ronny Jackson" campaign committee, which would be a clear violation of federal campaign finance laws.

The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) stated that there is "substantial reason to believe” that Jackson violated “House rules, standards of conduc, and federal law” by using donor money on personal expenses not related to his campaign. House Ethics Committee chairman Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) and ranking member Susan Wild (D-Pennsylvania) confirmed that the six-member committee consisting of both three Democrats and three Republicans voted unanimously to continue investigating Jackson, but said no further comment would be made until its final report was issued.

Aside from spending donor money on personal expenses, Jackson may also have run afoul of another Federal Election Commission (FEC) rule. The FEC states that a candidate can't spend money on "dues, fees or gratuities to a country club, health club, recreational facility or other nonpolitical organization," which would mean the Amarillo Club's members-only model makes it off-limits for any federal campaign activity.

The nature of the Texas Republican's spending at the Amarillo Club is still not fully known, with the Independent reporting that neither Jackson nor his campaign have cooperated with investigators. Additionally, the OCE appears to have been keeping tabs on Jackson's campaign committee for at least three years. The OCE noted that "in the period of time since the OCE’s December 17, 2021 referral ... Rep Jackson has continued to make payments to the club undeterred."

This isn't the first time Jackson has been in trouble for alleged ethics violations. Before he was a Texas congressman, Jackson was the White House physician for former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and held a rank of rear admiral-lower half in the U.S. Navy. However, Jackson was demoted to the rank of captain in 2022 after a Navy Inspector General's report found that he routinely handed out prescription medication to White House staff who were not officially diagnosed patients.

"[Jackson] would come around Air Force One asking Donald Trump’s senior staff if they needed anything," former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told Rolling Stone. "This included Provigil and Ambien, and he would hand them out, typically in the form of packets with two or three pills in them. When this happened on Air Force One, a nurse would be trailing him, writing down who got what."

As of late June 2024, Jackson's official congressional website still claims he's a "retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral" and makes no mention of his new rank.

"While it is possible that others will mistakenly refer to him as 'Admiral' in perpetuity, he himself should not make that mistake," Catherine Kuzminski, of the Center for Just National Security, told the Washington Post in March.

It remains unknown whether Jackson will face consequences for his alleged flouting of federal campaign finance law before the November election, when he is likely to be reelected in his solidly Republican district. According to Ballotpedia, Jackson has no Democratic opponent in November, with his only opposition consisting of Libertarian Party nominee Mike Kolis.

Click here to read the Independent's report in full.

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