Former Vice President Joe Biden is the subject of a Senate report that says he received inappropriate attention from White House doctor Ronny Jackson. The report filed by the panel responsible for vetting Jackson said that his language was “unacceptable and unethical” for a physician. (Jackson has since resigned his post.)
But the hearings dragged on for far longer, days and perhaps even weeks. What’s the bottom line? How can members of Congress know whether a nominee can serve as a doctor and as a president’s advisor? President Trump is reportedly considering a Vice President Mike Pence to replace Jackson, but whether Pence could really take on such weighty responsibilities is questionable. Does America need the vice president of the United States to take over for a Cabinet secretary who didn’t do his job?
With these questions in mind, we put them to Dr. Ronny Jackson, a specialist in geriatric medicine, and director of the Duke VA Medical Center. Does he think America deserves to know Biden’s mental status? “Absolutely,” Dr. Jackson says. “We want our elected officials to be cognitively qualified.”