Ronny Jackson was called the 'Candyman' because he would dole out drugs to White House staff: Ranking Dem on Senate VA committee
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee told CNN's Anderson Cooper Tuesday night that people in the White House used to refer to the president's personal physician, Adm. Ronny Jackson, as "the Candyman" due to his habit of over-prescribing sleeping medication.
"He was the 'Candyman' because he handed out prescription drugs like they were candy," Sen. John Tester (D-MT) told the host. The senator went on described how Jackson was allegedly known to go up and down the aisles on overseas flights in his role as White House physician during the Obama administration and offer passengers narcotics to sleep and narcolepsy drugs to wake back up.
While enumerating the allegation that Jackson was often drunk on the job during the last administration, Tester noted that being inebriated while being the president's physician could have dire consequences.
"Adm. Jackson was the primary health care provider for the president," the Montana senator told Cooper. "And if you're drunk and something happens with the president, it's difficult to treat the president. So this is totally unacceptable, and multiple people told us this was the case."
Watch below, via CNN: