After Senator Tester “poked the bear,” drawing admonishment from President Trump for waging a partisan war on his nominee for Secretary of the VA, it looks like Senator Tester’s “risky” gamble to release unvetted allegations against Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson is backfiring.
The U.S. Secret Service released a new statement saying that – despite Senator Tester’s allegations – they have “no such record” of “any incident” involving Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson and that a “thorough review of internal documents … has resulted in no information that would indicate the allegation is accurate.” (See full statement here)
Ouch.
The revelation that Senator Tester’s unvetted accusations against Rear Admiral Jackson might amount to little more than fake news and his choice to put himself “at the tip of the the tip of the spear of the anti-Trump movement” are sure to hurt his re-election prospects in a state Trump won by more than 20 points.
Just look at some of some of these headlines:
Trump: Tester has a “big price to pay” over VA nominee’s withdrawal, Associated Press
‘Jon poked the bear’: Tester braces for Trump’s revenge, Politico
It’s Trump vs. Tester in Big Sky Country, Associated Press
GOP candidates blast Tester over VA nominee comments, Great Falls Tribune
Tester moves back to top of GOP Senate hit list, The Hill
“Senator Tester’s drive to obstruct President Trump at all costs is backfiring big time,” said NRSC Spokesman Calvin Moore. “Senator Tester let his loyalty to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi get the best of him and voters in Montana are sure to make him pay for it this November.”