Story was updated at 6:06 p.m.

President Trump said Wednesday he will nominate White House physician Ronny Jackson, a Navy rear admiral, to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Jackson will replace the current VA secretary, David Shulkin. Robert Wilkie, the current undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, will serve as acting secretary of Veterans Affairs until Jackson is confirmed.

"I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!" Trump tweeted.



I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

....In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018



Shulkin’s resignation caps a tumultuous period for the current VA secretary. He came under fire after the agency’s watchdog found he misled ethics officials and improperly accepted tickets to a tennis match at Wimbledon during an 11-day trip to Europe last year.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has also been plagued by infighting and turmoil, according to reports.

Shulkin was Trump’s only holdover in his Cabinet from the Obama administration, and speculation about an impending ouster had been swirling for weeks.

Jackson, a native of Levelland, Texas, has served as the White House physician for former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and now Trump.

He joined the Navy after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1991 and the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1995.

In January, Jackson oversaw Trump's first medical exam as president and proclaimed he is in "excellent health." During a lengthy White House press briefing announcing the results of the exam, Jackson said the president insisted on taking a cognitive assessment and scored a 30/30 on the test.

“I am proud to nominate Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson M.D. as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Admiral Jackson is highly trained and qualified and as a service member himself, he has seen firsthand the tremendous sacrifice our veterans make and has a deep appreciation for the debt our great country owes them,” Trump said in a statement.

The president also praised Shulkin for his tenure at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I appreciate the work of Dr. David Shulkin and the many great things we did together at Veterans Affairs, including the VA Accountability Act that he was helpful in getting passed. He has been a great supporter of veterans across the country and I am grateful for his service,” he said.

Shulkin’s departure is the latest amid a shake-up of Trump’s top officials. The president fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 13 and tapped CIA Director Mike Pompeo to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster will also leave the administration next month. Trump announced that his replacement will be John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

