Amidst the tumult of Donald Trump’s administration, even the White House pharmacy was not spared from chaos. A recent report from the Department of Defense Inspector General reveals that the Trump White House Medical Unit’s pharmacy violated numerous federal laws and regulations governing the distribution of prescription drugs. ( 📰 Trump Faces Allegations Committing New Crime in Court ) This inquiry, initiated in 2018 after complaints about improper practices, unearthed a series of infractions during the peak of Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2019. (usatoday.com) (t.co) Investigating over 120 officials and conducting in-person inspections, the 80-page report exposes a range of health care and pharmaceutical services provided to ineligible White House staff, violating federal law and regulation, as well as Department of Defense policy. ( 📄 Nancy Pelosi Turns Against Biden, Exposes His Actions Threatens National Security ) One alarming detail from a witness highlights the casual distribution of go-bags filled with medication to White House officials before overseas trips, underscoring a lack of formal processes in the prescription-dispensing protocol. ( 📰 Joe Biden Makes An Announcement To Americans, Tells Them The Record His Gov’t Broke Today ) The report indicates that controlled substances, including commonly abused medications like Ambien and Provigil, were dispensed to ineligible White House staff.
The revelations don’t end there. (t.co) (t.co) Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, now a congressman from Texas, had earned the nickname “candy man” among White House staff for his lax approach to prescribing medication. Witnesses disclosed that Jackson even wrote prescriptions for himself and, when unable to do so, instructed an assistant to cover for him. (politico.com) (t.co) In one instance, Jackson provided a “large supply” of Percocet, an opioid medication, to a White House staffer. (queerty.com) This isn’t the first time concerns about drug abuse within the Trump Administration have surfaced; Jackson had to withdraw as the nominee to lead the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2018 due to such revelations.
As the report came to light, it coincided with Donald Trump making unsubstantiated claims about another high-ranking politician’s alleged drug abuse. Trump suggested that Gov. (t.co) (rollingstone.com) Chris Sununu of New Hampshire “gotta be on something.” This accusation follows a pattern for Trump, who similarly accused Joe Biden of drug abuse during the 2020 election. While projecting such claims, Trump loyalists seized on an incident last summer when the Secret Service found cocaine in a White House common area. Even without drug-related issues, a psychiatrist from Yale University noted, toward the end of Trump’s presidency, that harboring grievances can activate neural reward circuitry similar to narcotics, suggesting a potential addiction to seeking revenge. (t.co) The intricate web of revelations and accusations creates a complex narrative that adds yet another layer to Trump’s legacy and the controversies surrounding his administration. (apnews.com)
