New Ad Targets Tester for Trashing Navy Admiral

"Sen. Tester didn't even think twice before spreading unsubstantiated claims about a decorated veteran, just to please Chuck Schumer and his liberal party bosses in Washington," NRSC spokesman Calvin Moore said Tuesday.

Moore declined to say how much the NRSC spent on the ad.

Tester campaign manager Christie Roberts dismissed the attack.

"This is just politics," she said. "Jon is relentless in holding government accountable and he will continue to fight for veterans to make sure they have the services they need and have earned."

Trump said last week that Tester "will have a big price to pay" politically after Tester's office released allegations against the White House physician that included drunkenness, overprescribing medication and fostering a hostile work environment. Jackson withdrew his nomination and denies the claims.

Since then, the president has criticized Tester in tweets and public appearances. On Tuesday, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short phoned in to a Montana radio program and said the president was considering traveling to Montana to campaign against Tester.

Tester is running for a third term in November's elections, one of 10 Democrats seeking re-election in states that Trump won in 2016. Four Republicans are competing in the June 5 primary for the chance to take on Tester.

Tester, who is the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Republican committee chairman Johnny Isakson of Georgia released a joint statement last week that Jackson's hearing would be indefinitely postponed. Tester's office then released a list of allegations against Jackson that included drunkenness, overprescribing medication and creating a hostile work environment.

Tester has said the allegations were made by more than two dozen people who've worked with Jackson. Tester said not investigating Jackson would have been a dereliction of duty and that he released the allegations for transparency.