Trump declared Jackson’s nomination on Twitter at 5:31 p.m. The tweet was big news — not just to the public, but to some senior aides, according to one White House official…

As recently as two weeks ago, the Trump White House was still making overtures to potential candidates for the top job, according to a person with direct knowledge of the inquiries. Trump reportedly agonized over the decision, changing his mind several times, a senior administration official said.

“Instead of going through the paces to convince the best possible person to take this job, they’re going with the person who’s still on active duty in the Navy and can’t say no to the commander in chief,” said one Obama White House aide, who spoke highly of Jackson as a doctor and individual. “You could look at it as them giving up trying to find a competent commander or manager to fix the problems.”