Bill O'Reilly told Newsmax TV on Wednesday he believed embattled Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson would eventually withdraw his nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs because he has been "slimed" by the media.

"Anybody who Donald Trump nominates for anything is going to get slimed," O'Reilly told "Newsmax Now" host John Bachman in an interview. "It's brutal. This is the resistance.

"I did not know what the doctor did or did not do," he continued. "All I can go by is that two previous presidents recommended him very highly.

"I am depressed that the state of America is that anybody being considered to help the Trump administration is to be torn apart," O'Reilly told Bachman. "I think that's brutal.

"But as far as what he did or did not do in his career, I do not know."

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Further, when Bachman asked whether Jackson would ultimately withdraw, O'Reilly responded: "If I had to bet, I'd say, 'yes.'"

"I think he wants to clear his name, which is a good thing.

"But if I had to bet," he reiterated, "I'd probably say that he's not going to be the new V.A. secretary."