Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and former campaign adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell. He is a partner at RunSwitch Public Relations in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @ScottJenningsKY. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) The shameful smearing of Dr. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician who was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Secretary of the Veterans Affairs Administration and has now withdrawn, is example #967 of why people hate Washington D.C. and were in a revolutionary mood at the 2016 ballot box.

Scott Jennings

Montana Senator Jon Tester in particular ought to be ashamed of publicly airing unproven allegations against a Navy Admiral and doctor who has served his nation and three Commanders-in-Chief with honor. Tester sullied the reputation of a good man and no doubt chilled many people who ever had a fleeting thought of offering themselves up for public service.

Where does Jackson go to get his reputation back? Nowhere. The Internet is forever. I don't know if Dr. Jackson was the right man to lead the VA or not. That's what confirmation hearings are for -- to discuss candidates' qualifications and assess their fitness. Clearly, Jackson should have been vetted, just as any presidential nominee should head to Capitol Hill.

But debating Jackson's qualifications in committee and Tester's short-circuiting the process with his McCarthy-like smear campaign are two different things. After all, most of Jackson's White House service came during President Barack Obama's eight years.

Two of the accusations -- that Dr. Jackson drunkenly banged on a female colleague's hotel door in the middle of the night and wrecked a government vehicle -- were busted over the weekend. The Secret Service disputed the allegations of door-banging and the White House, according to the Washington Post, said officials reviewed Jackson's vehicle records and found "three minor incidents" but "no evidence" that Jackson had wrecked a car.

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