Pence's doctor resigns

Washington, May 5 (IANS) Jennifer Pena, the White House physician assigned to Vice President Mike Pence, has resigned, according to his office.

"The vice president's office was informed today by the White House Medical Unit of the resignation. Physicians assigned to the vice president report to the White House Medical Unit and thus any resignation would go entirely through the Medical Unit, not the vice president's office," Alyssa Farah, Pence's press secretary, said in a statement to CNN on Friday.

The development comes after CNN reported on Tuesday that Pence's doctor privately raised alarms within the White House last year that President Donald Trump's doctor Ronny Jackson may have violated federal privacy protections for a key patient -- Pence's wife, Karen -- and intimidated the Vice President's doctor during angry confrontations over the episode.

A White House official later told CNN they felt Pena had misrepresented the extent of Jackson's actions.

Trump nominated Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, but Jackson withdrew his nomination last week amid burgeoning allegations of professional misconduct.

Though he returned to the White House Medical Unit, Jackson is no longer Trump's attending physician.

Pena also later wrote in a memo of feeling intimidated by an irate Jackson during a confrontation over the physician's concerns. 

The physician informed White House officials of being treated unprofessionally, describing a pattern of behaviour from Jackson that made the physician "uncomfortable" and even consider resigning from the position.

Current and former co-workers accused Jackson of abusive behaviour and professional misconduct.