Shulkin Blames Ethics Woes On Campaign By Trump Appointees
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Nathan Guttman March 5, 2018
Veterans Affairs secretary David Shulkin is in hot water over a trip to Europe in which the government picked up the tab for his wife. The rather minor incident ballooned into a major affair after an internal VA report found that Shulkin’s advisers tried to doctor emails in order to hide information about the trip.
Now, according to Axios,Shlkin has find the cause for his troubles: It is the Trump appointees at the VA who are out to get him.
“The VA secretary has been telling anyone who will listen that Trump appointees in his agency are conspiring to undermine him,” Axios reported. Shulkin is now doing his own PR, after loosing trust in the department’s press team, and has said that he plans a purge, backed by the White House.
But senior White House officials were quoted saying that Shulkin’s future is anything but sure and that “a small, little, tiny breeze would push him over the edge.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
