When Donald Trump was in office, chaos infected all parts of his administration, right down to the White House pharmacy.
A new report from the Department of Defense Inspector General found the Trump White House Medical Unit’s pharmacy failed to comply with an array of federal laws and regulations governing the distribution of prescription drugs, Rolling Stone reports.
The inquiry started in 2018 after the Officer of Inspector General received complaints regarding improper practices within the medical unit. The 80-page report mostly includes findings from 2017-19, the height of Trump’s presidency.
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Investigators conducted in-person inspections and spoke with over 120 officials before publishing their findings. They concluded the “White House Medical Unit provided a wide range of health care and pharmaceutical services to ineligible White House staff in violation of Federal law and regulation and DoD policy. Additionally, the White House Medical Unit dispensed prescription medications, including controlled substances, to ineligible White House staff.”
One of the more damning details is a quote from one witness, who told investigators pharmacy staff would often provide White House officials with go-bags of medication before embarking on overseas trips.
The witness indicated there was no formal process when it came to doling out drugs. The protocol was “ask and you shall receive.”
“A lot of times the senior staff would come by or their staff representatives … would come by the residence clinic to pick it up. And it was very much a, ‘Hey, I’m here to pick this up for Ms. X.’ And the expectation was we just go ahead and pass it out,” said the whistle blower.
Two of the most commonly abused medications were Ambien and Provigil, the witness says. The former is a sedative used to treat insomnia, while the latter is a stimulant used to treat narcolepsy.
Apparently, when Trump Administration officials traveled the globe, they needed to go up and come back down.
This clarifies a few things…
— Jeff Hudson (@ItsJeffHudson) January 24, 2024
This DoD report isn’t the first time we’ve heard about drug abuse in the Trump Administration. Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, who’s now a MAGA-pilled congressman from Texas, was apparently laissez-faire when it came to prescribing medication.
In fact, White House staff called Jackson “candy man,” current and former colleagues told Senate investigators.
Witnesses say Jackson regularly wrote himself prescriptions, and when he couldn’t, ordered an assistant to cover for him. One nurse recalls Jackson providing a “large supply” of Percocet, an opioid medication, to a White House staffer, according to USA Today.
Jackson withdrew as the nominee to lead the Department of Veteran Affairs when the revelations came to light in 2018.
The timing of Rolling Stone‘s report comes on the heels of Trump implying another high-ranking politician, without evidence, is abusing drugs himself. Following the New Hampshire primary, Trump said Gov. Chris Sununu, who endorsed Nikki Haley, has “gotta be on something.”
Trump also accused Joe Biden of drug abuse during the 2020 election.
“I think there’s probably – possibly – drugs involved,” he said on Fox News. “That’s what I hear. I mean, there’s possibly drugs. I don’t know how you can go from being so bad where you can’t even get out a sentence … ”
Ever scatterbrained, Trump didn’t finish his thought, of course.
In a classic case of projection, Trump loyalists pounced on the Biden Administration last summer, when Secret Service found cocaine in a White House common area.
Even without drugs, members of the Trump Administration, and the disgraced ex-president himself, probably weren’t acting of sound mind. At the tail end of his presidency, a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale University published a piece in Politico detailing how harboring grievances activates “the same neural reward circuitry as narcotics.”
“Although these are new findings and the research in this area is not yet settled, what this suggests is that similar to the way people become addicted to drugs or gambling, people may also become addicted to seeking retribution against their enemies—revenge addiction,” writes James Kimmel Jr.
Hmmm. Does that sound like somebody we know? Drugs are no match for an aggrieved mind.
ShaverC
Rolling Stone is the source of this information? A music mag? I’m going to question this information.
abfab
One more comment from the squarest queer in the United States. Rolling Stone has not been a music mag for quite some timenow. Hang it up Shaves. You give your sad self away when keeping still really is your best option. Take it.
Why do you come here? Remind us all again.
BLAKENOW
rShave C you area an embarrassing right wing mega moron
decrans
I interned for Rolling Stone in college. It’s been irrelevant since Pitchfork, which has been absorbed by Conde Nast. Music journalism is dead. It’s like The View or SNL. A sliver of people watch/read it. Most people tune it out for their respective niches on The Internet. The hipsters hold onto Stereogum and various social media feeds.
Once again, I find myself agreeing with Abcrabs. Goddamnit.
abfab
More lies.
decrans
You want me to email my clips? A picture of my Wenner Media badge? A screenshot of my Facebook feed with various Rolling Stone editors? My name in Rolling Stone’s Schools that Rock College Guide? More than happy to do it. I love nothing more than making you look like the raving idiot that you are.
decrans
I also have pictures of me waving outside their old offices right across from Fox News. Put up or shut up, Abs.
decrans
Hell, when I wrote for Autostraddle, they included Rolling Stone in my bio. Winter Breedlove, Autostraddle. Google it, Abs. I guess that LGBTQ publication is lying their ass off, too.
SoPluckyWhat
If anyone knows drug use, it’s a musician. But that doesn’t really matter. You don’t agree with anything on this site. So, your comment is totally preDICKtable.
dbmcvey
It’s amazing how many coincidences there are in decraps life. It’s almost like he’s lying.
decrans
It’s almost as if you can Google Winter Breedlove and Autostraddle and see for yourself. Then again, y’all want to accuse an LGBTQ publication of lying as well. It’s noted! It’s easier to throw accusations not rooted in truth. Once again, y’all behave like Trump. You should probably vote for him already. You mimic his behavior to a fuc–ing tee.
LumpyPillows
Can’t refute the message, attack the messenger.
decrans
Pretty much. It’s what they and Trump do best. He trained them well.
bachy
Drugs? I didn’t see any signs. The Trump White House had the quiet, sober dignity of a Judy Garland concert in Vegas, 1962.
ShaverC
You do realize cocaine was literally found in the Biden Whitehouse.
abfab
Thank you Alex Reimer. This is one for the record books. I was waiting but knew you’d bring it. xo
abfab
It was literally found there, you mean instead of actually? ShaverC. You’re on drugs…………..the wrong kind because you are a mess. It’s amazing the things you people cling to.
SoPluckyWhat
Yes, shave it, that was mentioned in the article and every media site in the world! Where have you been?
dbmcvey
I love how Shaver partly remembers these stories and then brings them up out of context.
BLAKENOW
ShaverC Cocaine at Bidens isn’t squat compared to the large menu of pills going right into that Giant Orange Flapping gash called Trump’s mouth
abfab
And it’s the only way he was able to get close enough to Mealyanna to breed……….He knocked her out with his stash of everv barbituate known to man.
Mary told me that story.
Baron Wiseman
The desperation is palpable.
The left will not be happy until an assassination is successful. Their hatred is that deep.
abfab
Contented. Not happy.
Kangol2
You’re the one talking up assassination, Baronin. You’re projecting AGAIN.
Please, get help!
abfab
Failure.
Baron Wiseman
Kangol2
Perhaps you should check the social media accounts of Alex Soros, son of garbage billionaire George Soros.
He posted a picture of a bullet hole and a picture of $47 this week – a not so subtle reference to shooting the 47th president. Classy.
It is not that far off, considering what Trump has been put through. What is left? You have to stop him some how – right?
Democrats have a long history of assassination.
still_onthemark
We never see anyone on the left snarl about “Second Amendment solutions,” but that’s common language on the right.
“Long history of assassination”? Baron clutches his pearls and pretends to believe because John Wilkes Booth was a Democrat, no one should ever vote for, or be a Democrat ever again!
The assassin of JFK was a communist and definitely not a Democrat. The assassin of McKinley was an anarchist. (Maybe Baron hasn’t got that far in history class yet, or he thinks an anarchist is exactly the same as a Democrat in 1901 or 2024.)
The assassin of Garfield was a Republican who hated Garfield’s branch of the Republican Party — the term RINO was not in use yet, but anyone Trump calls a “RINO” today is in danger of assassination by gun-toting Trumpanzees.
WillParkinson
What Trump has been through. Oh, you are so freaking funny. Made millions off the presidency. How horrendous for him.
dbmcvey
The people constantly bringing up assassination are conservatives.
abfab
STILLONTHEMARK YOUAREWONDERFUL!
LumpyPillows
Trump is a dangerous, unhinged sociopath, that did not destroy the planet the last time because generals stood in his way. Anyone supporting Trump is deranged.
abfab
The Moat surronding MaraLardo is a toxic cesspool of urine and shit containing drug residue and disease.
Kangol2
Drugged out dotard Donnie Demento and his drug-dispensing White House pharmacy about says it all!
abfab
Kelly Anne and was on speed all the time…all wired out and tweeking her head off.
Sara Fuc-ka-bee was on downers with her eyes wide shut…revealing her beautiful smokey lids and long lashes.
michel_banen
OK, I get it. Queerty has an insanely intense hate for everything Trump but how is this ‘gay news’ ?
There’s never a story on Biden here although he fits the ABDL category.
SoPluckyWhat
News is news. Especially about someone who wants us dead!
Chrisk
Ahhh…if Dump gets in then it will most definitely be gay news as he’ll usher in the most anti gay policies and henchmen we’ll ever see for many years to come. So yes. Gay News.
Get real. There’s been plenty of stories here about Biden.
abfab
Actually Banen, Queerty LOVES Trump. As does the entire mass media complex. You must be mad.
Baron Wiseman
@SoPluckyWhat
Wants us dead!?!
What. A. Drama. Queen.
Can you please provide some quotes or documentation for that, Chicken Little?
Baron Wiseman
@Chrisk
Donald Trump has already been president. Please provide some documentation or quotes to substantiate such a ridiculous comment.
LumpyPillows
Biden is not the enemy of the LGBT team. Trump is not only an enemy of the LGT team, he is to any sentient being.
Jim
Is it just me but do Republicans love their “prescription” drugs
Man About Town
This could explain Trump’s current behavior: withdrawal symptoms.
ZzBomb
It’s been pretty obvious for years that Trump is a pill popper. He’s crazed and incoherent.
Poopy pants needs to be placed in a home where he can rant at the TV all day.
dbmcvey
I know Trump doesn’t drink, but would anyone be surprised that he was on pills?
dbmcvey
Or cocaine? All that sniffing.
still_onthemark
David Pakman has addressed that (as has Jimmy Kimmel). In recent weeks, Trump has accused Biden, Haley AND Gov. Chris Sununu of being on “uppers”! All three of them, really? Given Trump’s endless history of projection, it’s easy to guess what’s going on there.
Mister P
Out of context is what right wingers do. Their ideas are not sound enough for them to be in context.
Fahd
A German reporter on the German national news said the other day that although things may look bad, Eric’s father only has a 40% chance of winning the presidency in November.
Where do people get these numbers?
I find it uncomfortably high, especially given all the terrible things that we are just now finding out about his presidency (see this article). What is wrong with the poorly educated voter in the U.S. ?
abfab
Where do you want us to begin?
Openminded
It’s sad when people twist facts into lies that suit what they want to believe. It does appear that the WH Med center may have extended treatment to some people who were not eligible. I don’t really understand how, since Obamacare was claimed to provide medical care for everyone. There’s nothing in the story indicating or alleging Trump received any of the controlled meds dispensed.
As for the “go bag” when POTUS traveled, it’s a known fact that medical staff accompanies POTUS everywhere, obviously they take meds with them. Should we be shocked that there’s also lots of people traveling with the President who are carrying guns? Fabricated hype about a non-issue is a good sign that the fabricators are getting concerned that they may be losing.
abfab
VOTE TRUMP!
dbmcvey
That is sad. There are enough facts about Trump that show just how terrible he is, no need to lie. Not that there’s any proof of lying.
Kangol2
No one EVER claimed “Obamacare” was to “provide medical care for everyone.” That wasn’t true when the bill was proposed, debated, voted up in the House and Senate, signed into law, and implemented. You cannot just make up history.
On the other hand, Obamacare, which is wildly popular now, HAS ensured that 40 million more Americans now have basic health insurance than they did before, as of 2023–or a 92.1% rate of Americans now having health care in 2022–the highest number since the bill passed. That is larger the population of California or a number of other US states or many countries across the globe.
Openminded
Actually, Obamacare was promoted to ensure EVERYONE had insurance coverage, which EVERYONE would have to contribute payment to. Like every other giveaway program promoted by liberals, it evolved into a virtually no payment required program for the uninsured. Obamacare only served to cause price increases to my insurance premiums for a policy that I had paid full premiums on for over 4 decades as it did for so many responsible citizens. Once again, those who were taking care of themselves for life had to pay extra to take care of those who too often chose not to take care of themselves. I won’t argue that there were many people prior to Obamacare who could not re-access decent medical insurance due to circumstances beyond their control such as loss of employer provided coverage due to cutbacks/layoffs. Those folks needed the gov’t to step in with assistance. Way too many people who simply didn’t choose to pay for insurance because there were much more “fun” things to buy didn’t deserve gov’t intervention to provide them with something they didn’t find necessary, yet here we are, covering them all the same for nothing.
LumpyPillows
I would imagine being heavily medicated was almost necessary to work for mercurial and fickle Trump.
bachy
My thoughts exactly.