Major veterans groups call for VA secretary’s ouster following damning report
December 11, 2020
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie adjusts his mask after an suicide prevention event at the White House on June 17, 2020. Multiple veterans groups on Friday called for Wilkie's firing following a critical Inspector General report. (Alex Brandon/AP)
A day after the Veterans Affairs Inspector General blasted VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for his handling of a sexual assault allegation at a department hospital, most of the country’s major veterans organizations called for his immediate firing, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership.
“Secretary Wilkie and several members of his executive staff violated the trust of a fellow veteran who came forth with serious allegations of sexual assault,” said Veterans of Foreign Wars Executive Director B.J. Lawrence in a statement Friday night.