dr. jackson's bio.here is not nothing in the bio -- there is nothing in the bio that says he cannot lead. let's give him a shot. spinning further to 2020 with the battle of the census and the trump administration deciding to include a question on citizenship in 2020 for the first time since the 1950s. they say it is about free and fair elections and getting an accurate count. on the other side, california and new york, among the states suing and eric holder taking them on. you studied this issue for years. what is the impact of including that question on the census? >> dave, the problem is that we don't know. that's the main concern critics say. when you have the census, there is a process for testing questions. you can be certain you have every sense how this will impact returns. that is the concern here. a worry that especially amid the rhetoric of immigrants and immigration right now that folks who get a government survey asking them to identify whether they are a citizen or non citizen will be scare

dr. ronnie jackson. unsurprisingly the performance on tv had to do with the selection. dr. jackson's white house briefing said the president's health played a part in his decision. here is a look back. >> no indication he has any cognitive issues. the president is sharp and ar articulate. look at his vision. he can drive if he wants to without glasses. he washes his hands frequently. he uses purell. his overall health is excellent. he has incredible genes. he will remain fit for this duty or another term if elected. >> the president known to say he is out of central casting. dr. jackson faces confirmation. he is an active duty navy 23i physician. in 2013, he was nominated by president obama to be physician to the president. dr. jackson has been named the replacement at the v.a. recently, but people have not taken it seriously. >> the nomination is not going over well with veterans groups. the executive director of the american veterans groups says it has come to a screeching halt. we are disappointed and more so we are concerned. concerned at the nominee. we don't see anythi

dr. jackson is highly trained and qualified. but he has no real management experience. if confirmed, jackson will run the federal government's second largest department with hundreds of thousands of employees. well over 300,000. and it is plagued by in efficiencies. "new york times" reports that former lawyer john dowd may have floated the idea of pardoning michael flynn and paul manafort as special counsel was building cases against both men. was dowd trying to influence flynn and manafort to keep them from cooperating with with the investigation? >> so robert mueller's probe has drawn a direct link between a trump campaign official and russian intelligence officials. a new court filing says former deputy campaign manager rick gates made frequent calls to a person the fbi believed had active links to russian spy services. so we'll get into that. in the world of entertainment, roseanne barr is back after two decades. her sitcom's reboot drawing millions of viewers. it caught the attention of president trump. we'll tell you about the call he made to the show is's star. le

dr. ronny jackson. dr. jackson, you'll recall, made a name for himself, you might say, by declaring the president to be in excellent health. but i'm told by a white house official that some of these questions about david shulkin, ethical questions over at the va were becoming too big of a distraction for him to carry out the president's agenda when it comes to reforming care for our nation's veterans.

dr. jackson, wereed surpr by his nomination. they wrote that jackson was taken aback and heads at the same timed to take on such a big job but the president to push and told the senior statue on monday that the doctor wasisop choice. a senior white house officialon said jacent through an informal vetting process butou withe extensive vetting at typically accompanies a selection. we're looking at a touch configureication perhaps for the doctor. shawna: we are, despite the fact that a lot of people on both sides in washington liked a miriam dr. ronny jackson. th problem here is -- bedid sort of a dive into the v.a. yesterday on vice news tonight sw becouldn't find anything that looked like management for dr. jackson in terms ounning anymore kind of large organization or even small organizationeally. so while he may be a a very goo doctor, it's h see how he's going to go into something as large as the v.a., something that david shulkin had been a part of before,n' d successfully get through his term as v.a. secretary and do anythin

dr. jackson. don't think it ever hurts you to praise the boss and we heard a lot in that briefing about that. and apparently the president liked what he heard at the briefing and that was a big part of why dr. jackson is getting this big job. it will be interesting to watch how the confirmation process goes. he does have a lot of serious questions to answer about how he is going to take care of this large important agency. >> i appreciate it. now to another legal fight. emoluments, it is generally defined as compensation, meaning salary, fee, profit for services of employment in an office. the constitution says in part that no person holding any office shall without the consent of congress accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any king, prince or foreign state. a lot of fancy words but it means it is illegal to profit from being president. but attorneys general from maryland and the district of columbia filed suits alleging the president has done that. foreign of

dr. ronny jackson was taken aback when he got the news. he is taking over $186 billion budget and 377,000 employees. >>> new questions about epa administrator scott pruett. it says his 24-hour security in washington extends to some of his personal trips, including a family vacation to disneyland and sporting events. we begin with cnn's shimon with a top story. new insight about what robert mueller might have. >> reporter: good morning. we have been told, the team has been primarily using rick gates and was involved in the trump campaign for information about the central mission of the investigation which has essentially been russian interference and so-called collusion in the 2016 campaign. and what's interesting here is that we're told that early on when rick gates agreed to cooperate he basically told -- mueller's team told him they didn't need him for paul manafort and instead wanted to hear what he knew about the contacts between trump campaign associates and russians. in a recent court filing, as you know, shows in some ways how rick

dr. jackson is qualified for this position? >> well, i know nothing about dr. jackson other than the little that i've read. he appears to be a very good family physician and he has done a good job not only for trump but for the obama administration. but you just heard dr. shulkin say something that is eminently true. and that is this is the largest integrated health care system in america. 350,000 employees. in my view, you would need somebody with a great deal of administrative experience somebody hopefully who knows something about the va. but what i fear very much and this has nothing to do with i know nothing about dr. jackson. so this is not a criticism. but i think he is going to be the front guy to try to move toward privatization. what i am urging my colleagues on the senate veterans fairs committee to do is to not support dr. jackson or anybody else who intends to privatize the va. that would be a terrible disservice to millions of veterans in this country who depend upon the va into final question. has -- did shulkin do a good job? we keep talking abou

dr. ronny jackson is highly trained is and qualified. however, dr. jackson has no real management experience. if confirmed, he will run the federal government's second largest department which has hundreds of thousands of employees and continues to be plagued by in efficiencies. >>> all right. the latest white house shakeup is happening as the white house times is reporting that former lawyer john dowd floated the idea of pardoning michael flynn and paul manafort at the same time that the special counsel was building cases against both men. was dowd trying to influence flynn and manafort from cooperating with the investigation? if so, and the president knew, you have another big piece in what might be part of an obstruction investigation. let's begin our coverage. abby phillip live at the white house with our top story. good morning, ab. >> reporter: good morning, chris. another day, another turnover. another day of tumult here at the white house. this time it is the v.a. secretary david shulkin who is out and the president's personal physician coming

dr. jackson's qualifications are thoroughly probed in the confirmation process. but i think we have no reason to believe he's of low character. we have no reason to believe he's a liar and every reason to believe he's an excellent doctor. we also have most importantly every reason to believe this man cares deeply and passionately about his country and about his fellow veterans. and i think that alone should cause all of us to say, we wish you well, and we hope you clean up this agency because it's vital. >> norm, is that enough, the fact that he is a military man himself? in fact, he's still in uniform. is that enough in your view? >> no, jim, it's not. the v.a. job is one of the most complex health care management jobs in the world. you are treating -- responsible for treating the health of hundreds of thousands if not millions of american veterans, a variety of other social services to them. ronny jackson runs a medical unit of a few dozen people. i don't question his patriotism or his decency. i was very well treated by him as a doctor. but that doesn't suit h

dr. ronny jackson who doesn't have a direct background here. he is a military veteran, though as you just heard. rear admiral in the navy. do you sense that he's qualified? do you sense that he's confirmable? do you sense that he'd be competent to lead the department? >> those are all the questions we're facing now. he's not someone who's used v.a. services or has experienced this. we just don't know. this is someone who when lawmakers found out the name last night said they're looking forward to meeting him which is surprising. usually with the v.a. secretary, he's even folks who are coming from outside of washington, there's some familiarity with their background or with some of their policies, in this case he's a well respected military physician but i don't know that anyone really saw him as a credible candidate to take over this job, so the veterans groups are somewhat concerned. they want to know a lot more about him and where he stands on these reform efforts before they're willing to sign off and say he's a good replacement. >> the v.a.

dr. ronny jackson, a rear admiral in the navy. dr. jackson has no experience running a large agency. the department of veterans affairs is the federal government second-largest agency, with 360,000 employees. shulkin had been facing criticism for various ethics violations, including using taxpayer money to pay for his wife's airfare during a trip to europe last summer. but shulkin says he's actually being ousted because of his opposition to privatizing the va which runs 1700 hospitals and clinics. in a piece for "the new york times," shulkin wrote -- "they saw me as an obstacle to privatization who had to be removed. that is because i am convinced that privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans." the push to privatize the va has been led by a group called concerned veterans for america which is funded by the billionaire conservative koch brothers. but other veterans groups, including the veterans of foreign wars and the american legion, have opposed the privatization plans. on sunday, senator

dr. jackson i believe is going to do this with the right intention. he's going to need a lot of help around him and a team around him to be successful. i certainly believe that i will do everything i can to make sure that that is -- that he is doing the job he needs to do. >> but it's certainly the case that if what you are saying is true and i don't have an independent wave confirming it, but if what you're saying is true, he can't possibly succeed in the mission of strengthening the va if the same people are there who you say are actively working to subvert that purpose so that the place can be privati privatized? >> i think it's clear that va needs to rid itself of people that aren't there for the sole intention of focusing on improving services and care for veterans and nobody should tolerate this type of politization of an important department like va. >> former va secretary david

dr. jackson.hen he goes before the senate for the confirmation hearings, we're hearing from members like tammy duckworth that want to know what qualifications this doctor has to run the second largest federal cabinet agency. it's a huge undertaking. i note that dr. jackson is well-liked on both sides of the aisle. he took care of president obama and president trump. i don't think people dislike him. there's questions whether he's prepared for this kind of undertaking. he has to talk about that and talk about where he stands on this contentious issue about privatization at the v.a. he's been sharing some advice where he wants to see the agency go. the public doesn't know what he told the president. >> shepard: you can say all you want about trips to wimbledon. the problem with shulkin was, shulkin didn't want to v.a. to be privatized. that was a nonstarter. one would suspect if that's what the president wants, that would be what this doctor wants. i guess we'll find out in the hearings. are we expe

dr. ronny jackson. he is perhaps best known for his effusive praise of his parent's good health. >> i think he will make it for duty for the remainder of this term and the remainder of another term if he's elected. >> how does a guy that eats mcdonald's and all those diet cokes and never exercises is in as good a shape as you say he's in? >> it's called genetics, i don't know. to answer your question, he has good genes, that's the way god made him. >> the president was impressed with his performance and how he handled himself on camera factored into getting on the job, which is managing 370,000 employees, provide ing health care to millions of veterans, something the outgoing secretary david shulkin grappled with for better or worse. i spoke to him before air time. mr. shulkin you said you accomplished a lot in your time at the va and you think you got let go because of your opposition to privateizing the va. why do you say that? >> i think since i have been secretary we have gotten a lot done in a bipa

dr. kimberly jackson. dr. jackson is a true pioneer for the medical profession. in june of 2015 she found the physicians working together organization. this group was created to bring physicians together from a broad spectrum of specialties. dr. jackson then just one year later established the last week of march as national physicians week. this year celebration will include a physician-led virtual conference hosted by the physicians working together group. the conference is available for free and provide physicians with valuable ways to improve their everyday practice. the virtual session also also highlight ways physicians will take action and policy through advocacy groups and navigate the world of politics. i encourage my friends in the medical industry to tune in. as an obstetrician and gynecologist, i had the privilege of building relationships with patients that i always hold dear to my heart. there is nothing quite like watching a family grow before your eyes and having a hand in their healthy growing. although government regulations piled on over the yea

dr. jackson. i have considerable respect for him. he's a great public servant. everything i can to help dr. jackson succeed in this position. this is a tough position. no doubt about it. this is one of the most complex organizations anywhere to run. >> he's a management role here, we're talking hundreds of thousands of employees. >> we're talking about. yeah, 375,000 employees, a budget of close to $200 billion next year and a very complex organization. and so it is going to be a challenge for anybody to take. fortunately, we have a process where senate nom nasdaqs are required and all these questions will be brought out. look, i have confidence that dr. jackson is a person who is honorable and cares about our veterans. >> can somebody without management experience, dr. jackson or somebody else, without managing a large organization as you say hundreds of thousands of employees can they do this job? >> this is a tough job for anybody to do. what the successful secretary needs to do, needs to build a team around them. to work very collaboratively with veteran ser

will become the new head of veterans affairs dr jackson has no experience managing an organization especially one with a workforce of more than three hundred thousand sources inside the white house say it was how dr jackson delivered the president's check up results that got them to job take a look. in summary the president's overall health is excellent he would benefit from a dike that is lower in fat and carbohydrates in from routine exercise regimen he has a history of elevated cholesterol and is currently on a low dose of crest or in order to further reduce his cholesterol level and further decrease his cardiac risk we will increase the dose of this particular medication it's called genetics i don't know it's a some people have you know just great genes and you know i told the president that if you had healthier god over the last twenty years you might have to be two hundred years old. all right so there you have the future head of the veterans affairs department in the united states i'm joined here at the big table with someone who i'm sure you have good genes ties and barker

dr. ronnie jackson? >> i can't answer that question.ent has his desires and opinions and every person has the right to pick who they want to be there. i will tell usec tear shulkin was in front of us a couple times just recently, maybe a couple weeks ago and he was asked a question numerous times about privatization or if he's been forced or pressured to do so. he said no. i will tell you within the administration and also within the veteran population, veterans are none a monolyth. there are certainly veterans who desire more private care or privatization and there are veterans that want to keep the va as it stands now. me personally, i think it's the duty of government to protect and take care of our veterans afterwards. they have to have the full responsibility. however, there are circumstance, and in my area we have the fastest growing veteran population in the nation, so there is more need for partnerships to deal with the care that's needed for that veteran population. there should be more private care available to veterans. howev

dr. jackson is highly trained and qualified and said that as a servicemember himself jackson has seen first hand the tremendous sacrifice our veterans make and has a deep appreciation for the debt our great country owes them. anne-marie? >> well, john dowd is denying the possibility that he pardoned two of the president's advisers. >> president trump's lead lawyer in the russia investigation talked about pardons for two of the president's former advisers. according to "the new york times." the "times" says last summer attorney john dowd spoke with the first national security adviser michael flynn about a presidential pardon as special counsel robert mueller was gathering evidence against him. flen later cut a deal with mueller's team. the "times" reports dowd also spoke with manafort's attorney. flynn later cut a deal with mueller's team. they also discussed a presidential pardon with paul manafort's attorney. manafort spent a few months running mr. trump's campaign. he's been charged but is now cooperating with mueller's team. conversations about pardons raised the prospect that the white

dr. jacks jackson?ified to changes the calcified culture in. >> unless he removes a good number of those people, unless he cleans house, certainly it is my position only the v.a. can be cleaned up by somebody outside the v.a. but if he thinks that he can just -- given his personality he can weigh in, he will change things, that just won't happen. and the v.a. will continue to fail our veterans. >> so am i hearing you right, you are concerned about this appointment from the president? this pick? >> i'd be concerned about any appointment. i just think that unless this navy officer will be marine corps tough and, you know, go in there and clean house and say you really don't belong here, you've not served our veterans and the taxpayers of this country in terms of this bloated bureaucracy, unless he will really clean house, this is an organization that is over half the size of the united states army. and unless he will be tough, nothing will change. >> so how do you think his confirmation hearing will go? >

dr. jackson or the next secretary, he or she would face?st hurdle, now that the secretary of the va now has the power to fire some of the very poor performing managers, the question is, how do you attract good talent, excellent talent, talent that the va needs, into this government bureaucracy that really can't pay at the private hospitals' rates? recruitment has been a big problem for the va. you have antequated computer systems that haven't been updated or brought into the 21st century. like i say, he may be an excellent physician with the patient load of one. at least on his resume, i do not see the experience necessary or need to turn this ship around. >> to your point, thus, the conversation about privatization. i want to read what former secretary shulkin wrote in this opinion piece in the "new york times." as he says he was forced out because he opposed privatization. the private sect is ill prepared to handle the number and complexity of patients, particularly when it involves the mental health needs of people scarred by the horrors

dr. jackson will make a tremendous secretary of veterans affairs. this is a man who as a doctor understands medicine. as an active duty member understands the military. he understands what veterans need in the 21st century in terms of modernizing care, giving them choices an options, making sure things like wait lines and bureaucracy at va is no longer preventing veterans getting care they earned, they deserve, that they need. we've had kind of bureaucrats or individuals who understand, kind of have the experience and resume' of, you know, hospital organizations or in the case of the obama administration general eric shinseki kind of run the va and they haven't fixed the problems. they haven't significantly reduced wait times. under the president's leadership, we have begun to reduce wait times. we've begun to take a lot of the things that provide transparency and put them online for veterans to be able to make more informed choices about their health care. we want to continue the process to insure that veterans who have served this country, who hav

jackson m.d. as the new secretary of veterans affairs. i am thankful to dr. david shulkin's service to our country." dr. jackson who has no management experience will be tacked with fixing the government's second largest agency plagued with scandals. according to "the new york times" trump feels more job that he understands the job of president and relying on his own instincts putting a premium on his personal chemistry with his people rather than on their resume or qualifications for the job. recent he told reporters change isn't such a bad thing. >> they wrote a story about staff changes that was very false. >> i think you want to see change. i want to see the different ideas. >> the news marked the end of secretary shulkin's time an the va given the president's public backing before this. >> i also want to express our appreciation for secretary shulkin who is implementing the dramatic reform throughout the va. i have no doubt it will be properly implemented. right, david? better be, david. we'll never have to use those words. we'll never have to use those

dr. jackson's bio does not reflect any experience working with the v.a. or with veterans or managing any organization of this size." on monday, acting v.a. secretary robert wilke takes over on an interim basis. it could be months before jackson is confirmed. bret? >> bret: lucas, thank you. let's hear directly now from dr. shulkin. he joins us. mr. secretary, thanks for being here. >> glad to be here, bret. >> bret: so let's start with this. why do you think you were fired? >> well, every cabinet member serves at the pleasure of the president. and it's the president's prerogative to have a team around him that he thinks is doing the job. i think we heard today from the president that he wasn't happy with the pace. and, you know, i agree with the president. this is an organization that needs to change. it needs to do better at his job and we all want to do it faster and better because it's so important to the country. and i think the president has the right to have the secretary that he wants with him. >> bret: you said the administration wants to privatiz

dr. david shulkin out and ronnie jackson, dr. johnny jackson in. an unusual choice, to say the least. >> yeah, andrea, that's putting it mildly. the president leaving now not answering any questions. he's not really been seen in public until this moment over the last five days or so. we've got almost a backlog of big questions for him on issues like this. we're reporting this morning that chief of staff john kelly called dr. shulkin yesterday before the president's tweet. so unlike some other cabinet secretaries, he may not have been caught as completely off guard of the news that he was out, the president's doctor on the way in. it is interesting to hear white house officials talk about the rear admiral who is now the nominee to head the virginia. they make the argument he is a veteran, understands veterans issues and has the president's ear. but nobody is trying to credit make the argument that he has the management experience to lead an organization of a couple hundred thousand people as the va is. they just say that the last few directors of th

government second only to the pentagon that is but dr jackson seemed to have made a positive impression on president especially when he gave a very optimistic and rosy assessment of the president's personal health both physical and mental in a after a presidential checkup in january this at a time when some commentators were raising questions about the president's physical and mental stamina and fitness for his job so just a little over twelve fourteen months in office the president has gotten rid of one secretary of state two national security advisers one white house chief of staff a senior economic adviser secretary of health now secretary of veterans affairs as well as the numerous other figures who. or at lower levels in the federal government or in the white house this is a level of turnover unprecedented in any other administration prior to president trump taking office and it is said that trump likes to surround himself with officials who he personally gets along with deals friendly with who agree with him and who look good on television let's not speak to jeff houser in washing

government second only to the pentagon that is but dr jackson seemed to have made a positive impression on president especially when he gave a very optimistic and rosy assessment of the president's personal health both physical and mental in a after a presidential checkup in january this at a time when some commentators were raising questions about the president's physical and mental stamina and fitness for his job so just a little over twelve fourteen months in office the president has gotten rid of one secretary of state two national security advisers one white house chief of staff a senior economic adviser secretary of health now secretary of veterans affairs as well as the numerous other figures who are at lower levels in the federal government or in the white house this is a level of turnover unprecedented in any other administration probably present. office bed that drop to soros visuals. he personally gets along with deals friendly with who agree with him and who look good on television a south korean delegation is on its way for high level talks with north korea in the demilitar

dr. jackson or trying to fight him tooth and nail. unless jackson comes into these meetings woefully underprepared or stumbles in some major way in his confirmation hearing and shows himself to be deeply unquail fewed in that way. as we've seen from his one moment in the sunshine so far, he certainly presents pretty well on television. part of the reason everyone assumes he was picked for this job in the first place. >> before i let you go, we know the incoming national security adviser, someone who doesn't require confirmation, john bolton, is going to be meeting with the defense secretary mattis later on this hour. we'll track that very closely. these are two men who have clashed when it comes to foreign policy. they've never met before. if you look at their policy positions on paper, they don't exactly line up. what are we expecting from this meeting? >> yes, matt is is probably the most diplomatic person you could have in terms of the armed forces of the united states. john bolton known for hawkish views and general attitude in fa

dr. jackson's chances of senate confirmation, hair yet mierss.first reaction was omg, that's still my reaction. and the replacement has no experience. va is the hardest to manage. we think the white house has aal order ahead of it. the "new york times" reports privately several white house aides acknowledge his lack of experience could be problematic. even john brennan said i know and respect dr. jackson, terrific doctor, navy officer however he has knighter experience nor credentials to run the very large and complex va. this is a misguided nomination that will hurt both a good man and our veterans. this is how it's being received for a guy who everyone loves. >> not a great vote of confidence there. >> what do you think his chances are? >> i came from a veterans event up here in d.c., and a lot of the veterans groups don't know anything about this guy. they're not at the point of condemning him because they're unfamiliar with him. he's a blank slate. as we look to the confirmation process there's going to be tough questioning from the democrats

dr. ronnie jackson, to head up the agency. it certainly speaks to the small agency of advisers he's surrounded himself with. he wants someone he's comfortable with as he looks to reshape his presidency. dr. jackson became most known when he walked into the white house briefing room and said this about the president's health. >> there is no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues. the president is very sharp, he's very articulate. a lot of energy and a lot of stamina. he's 71 years old. he can drive if he wants to without glasses. he washes his hands frequently. he uses purell. the president's health is excellent because his overall health is excellent. he has incredible genes. i think he'll remain fit for this term and maybe even another term if he's elected. >> certainly all of that was music to the president's ears. important to point out that dr. jackson also was the physician for president obama but has indeed become very close to this president. and it was a surprise to virtually everyone here when he was t

dr. ronny jackson. will be nominated to be the new v.a. secretary.ow how you will vote on his confirmation? >> i have not had a chance to meet him, interview him or look deeply into his background. i will say by all accounts he is a good doctor, good man, but has no relevant experience running any major administration. the veterans administration is one of the largest and most complex federal agencies. this shows the troubling trend president trump has of preferring nominees for his cabinet or cabinet members who are personally loyal or telegenic over these with relevant deep experience. >> can you confirm nip who didn't have any relevant experience to runny agency? >> i have been in the senate eight years. it is entirely possible that at some point i did. but in general i tend to judge nominees based on whether they have the experience to run the relevant agency. i voted against the secretary of education betsy devos, tkpeps the secretary of hud ben carson. although experienced people, neither had run a federal agency or government agency or frankly

dr. ronny jackson. if this president really does pick cabinet officials from the tv machine, dr. y jackson has not been all over tv like his colleagues. he's a navy admiral. he has made just a few tv appearances, but it was a memorable one. >> good afternoon, everyone. to start with, what i'm going to do is read to you the summary of the president's physical vitals as follows. age, 71 years and seven months at the time of the exam weight, 239 pounds, a history of elevated cholesterol and on a low dose of crestor. the president is very healthy and will remain so for the duration of his presidency. okay. with that he'll tai'll take som questions. >> can you tell me how a guy who eats mcdonald's and all those diet cokes and never exercises is in the shape that you describe. >> i would say genetics. it's just the way god made him. >> can you imagine the president watching that? the only thing he heard was good genes gen genes, blah, blah, blah. he is a rear admiral in the navy, served in the white house for the past three administrations. he is by all accounts beloved in that position

dr. ronny jackson have management experience? he does not, you know, certainly has not run anything in a major way, but it is also, you know, certainly giving rise to yet another person who is leaving this administration, saying washington is simply difficult to work in. david shulkin was a holdover from the obama administration, but he had a blistering op-ed in "the new york times" essentially saying how difficult it was to do his job in this administration in washington here, so certainly voicing many of those frustrations. but the reality here is the doctor has a close relationship to the president, that helps any cabinet secretary. certainly if he's confirmed, big question, if he's confirmed, will surround himself by people who know how to run agencies. but, john, the va is the second largest part of the federal government here, the second largest department, so certainly an upgrade in terms of people he'll be in charge of should he be confirmed. that will come perhaps by summer. but some weeks away, john. >> senate democrat

dr. jackson succeed in that role. >> woodruff: unclear to people who don't follow these issues closely is you referenced your ece in the "new york times" today, you said you're convinced privatization is a politic issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits even if it undermines compare for veterans. so there is something underhanded going on here. can you name some of these companies or people who would profit? >> i just don't see privatization as a goo thing for veterans, and i think those that are really stickg to a political ideology are doing this for other reasons, like financial reasons, don't have the interes of veterans at heart, and i think you just have to talk to the veterans groups to hear that, and that's something that i did as secretary. i stayed very close to those who represent the 9 million americans who get their healcare in v.a. and the many more million veterans who get their services and benh its throa., and i think that the people that are pushingwa s privatization are really representing only a small o minori veterans in this country. >> wood

dr. jackson because he's got extensive washington experience. you need somebody who knows how to run large organizations. if the va were a city it would be larger than tampa. only slightly smaller than cleveland. which you know cleveland very well. >> and which has world class hospitals and people who have run them and who have made great strides in figuring out better ways to serve their patients but, michael, david axelrod, your friend, has a thought on this. this is what he tweeted. dr. jackson is a good and honorable person. a fine doctor and career military. but you do get the sense this has as much to do with his bofo press conference on the president's physical as anything else. he's got a nickname for his personal physician. is this more about for this president who he likes, who he can joke around with, than about who has the experience to run this? >> it's all about that. it's all about that. you knew something was up when the good doctor stood up and told the american people that donald trump weighed 239 pounds. >> one pound underneat

dr. ronny jackson. dr. jackson, you'll recall, made a name for himself, you might say, by declaring the president to be in excellent health. but i'm told by a white house official that some of these questions about david shulkin, ethical questions over at the va were becoming too big of a distraction for him to carry out the president's agenda when it comes to reforming care for our nation's veterans. now, that distraction, that shake up over there at the va pales in comparison to the big, very big legal questions facing the president tonight. the white house press secretary, sarah sanders, she tried to avoid answering basic questions today, whether the president has ever considered issuing pardons for former campaign chairman paul manafort and former national security adviser michael flynn. sanders also offered up the same denials in the stormy daniels scandal, which the president appears to be hiding prefer dei day now. >> good afternoon. >> reporter: dodging nearly every question coming her way, white hou

dr. jackson, you may recall, gave mr.mp his first medical check-up as president and declared him to be in excellent health. shulkin is the 26th top administration official to leave, and jericka duncan at the white house has more on this. >> reporter: it was another firing via twitter. the president tweeted at 5:30 p.m. that he intends to nominate highly respected admiral ronny jackson as the new secretary of veterans affairs, ending weeks of speculation that dr. david shulkin was on his way out. shulkin was the sole obama cabinet holdover but had recently clashed with members of his own v.a. staff. just two days ago, shulkin had this to say when asked about his job. >> working-- working every day. >> reporter: shulkin came under fire after an inspector general pport in february found that he ered taxpayer money to purchase eps wife's plane ticket to atrope last summer and improperly accepted tickets to a wimbledon tennis match. dr. ronny jackson, the president's choice to replace shulkin, is the white house physician. >>

dr. jackson will do a great job taking care of the veterans.range, these weird rumors about the political appointees at the va trying to usurp the secretary and the crazy things going on, barricading themselves in the office. as a public servant, i think he's done a decent job and will move on. it's good to have new blood at the va. >> kimberly: there you go. greg. >> greg: [groans] >> kimberly: okay, moving on. >> greg: free from my show this weekend. always a bridesmaid. >> kimberly: moving on. even the control room is mad at you. >> jesse: wouldn't be the first time. >> juan: i know the president is having trouble hiring a lawyer but has it occurred to any of you that mister, dr. jackson has no background in handling a bureaucracy or reform? >> greg: maybe that is good. >> juan: he hire somebody who knows -- he knows personally. maybe it is payoff for that good -- >> kimberly: come on. oh, my god. no, no, no. he had someone who had experience dealing with bureaucracy and management, shulkin, that didn't work out. >> dana: not the other perso

dr. jackson. two months ago dr. son give the president a clean bill of health >> i told the president if he had a healthier diet over the last 200 years, he might live to be 200 years old >> president trump called him highly trained and qualified veterans are not so sure the head of amvets says we don't see anything that indicates he's capable of running a 2$200 billion agency >> it will feel like he's driving a sports car compared to driving the va, which is like an 18-wheeler, broken down, going through a combat zone in bad weather. >> democrats fear it's going to lead to privatizing the va this move announced by a white house in turmoil, hoping to refocus today on infrastructure. now the president will talk about that in ohio today it is his first public appearance in a week brian? >> tracie potts, as always, thank you. >>> more of your world and national news. phillip has more from new york >> good morning. a rare summit has been finalize. kim jong-un will meet with moon jae-in on april 27th after the nations agr

dr. jackson was coming in? >> certainly disappointed to hear about the firing.actly surprised but very disappointed. thought secretary shulkin had been doing a great job and we have concern about the nomination. >> what is your concern about dr. jacks snen he is navy and will be leaving active duty if confirm bid the senate but he is an admiral. >> we don't know much about him. that's part of the concern. we looked into his background, official navy bio, wikipedia page. some of the things that we can find out, we don't see much there as far as experience to run a $200 billion agency with 350,000 employees, veterans lives depend on this decision being right. so, we're very eager to start this confirmation process and hope that a lot of these answers or a lot of these questions are answered. >> i'm sure there will be a lot of questions for him during the senate confirmation. so much of the work has to do with the physical, health, mental health, physical health of veterans here in the you state. so, isn't it good that a physician will be atop that administration?