Washington (CNN) White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday defended Dr. Ronny Jackson's record as "impeccable," suggesting the Department of Veterans Affairs nominee's position as White House doctor means he has been more thoroughly vetted than other Cabinet nominees.

"Dr. Jackson's record as a White House physician has been impeccable," Sanders said. "Because he has worked within arm's reach of three presidents, he has in fact received more vetting than most nominees."

Sanders said Jackson has passed four background investigations , including a recent FBI investigation that is part of the vetting process for Cabinet nominees. She said the investigations "revealed no areas of concern."

But Sanders did not say whether the most recent FBI background investigation took place before or after Trump tapped Jackson as the VA nominee. And she offered no indication that Jackson was vetted over his qualifications for the job or screened for political concerns ahead of a contentious Senate confirmation process.

Sanders dodged questions on whether Jackson underwent any additional vetting before he was named as the VA nominee beyond the unrelated background checks he had passed in previous years.

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