Obama saying he accepted his resignation with “regret.” For once I’d like to see Obama fire someone.
Via HuffPo:
Eric Shinseki, U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs, resigned Friday amid a controversy involving delays in healthcare for military veterans.
President Barack Obama said he had accepted the VA chief’s resignation after meeting with Shinseki Friday. Obama also said the misconduct at Veterans Affairs hospitals “has not been limited to a few VA facilities.”
Shinseki initially met with President Barack Obama on May 21 to discuss allegations that doctors at a VA facility in Phoenix were ordered to put veterans’ names for months on a secret waiting list until a spot opened up on an official list to make the waiting times appear shorter. A report released Wednesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ internal watchdog said veterans at that hospital waited on average 115 days for their first medical appointment, an average of 91 days longer than the hospital had reported.
Bernie Sanders Blames The Koch Brothers For Pressure To Force VA Chief Shinseki Out
Yes, the Koch brothers.
Via Mediaite:
As the scandal over falsified waiting lists continues to engulf the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Sec. Eric Shinseki is facing mounting calls for his resignation from even members of President Barack Obama’s party. On MSNBC on Friday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed veterans groups and the Koch brothers for the increasing pressure leading Democrats to join Republicans in calling for Shinseki to step down.
MSNBC anchor Chris Jansing asked Sanders if the pressure on Shinseki to resign from lawmakers and veterans’ groups had become overwhelming.
“Some veterans’ groups and some veterans’ groups have not,” Sanders replied. “I do understand, you know, the Republican Party, and the Koch brothers, and others are putting the money into television ads where people are running for reelection or running for election, and it is hard to stand up to that pressure.”