2 Days After Riots, VA s Wilkie Is Last Cabinet Secretary to Respond to Capitol Siege
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Sunday, April 5, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
8 Jan 2021
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie issued a statement Friday morning addressing the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, two days after a mob breached the building and two military veterans were killed, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer bludgeoned in the assault, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press.
As of Thursday evening, all U.S. Cabinet secretaries except Wilkie had issued strongly worded statements denouncing the violence, while two had resigned.
Senior officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs abruptly cancelled a scheduled briefing with congressional leaders this week regarding the extent and impact of the SolarWinds cyberattack, a far reaching intrusion into the networks of multiple U.S. agencies and powerful corporations allegedly perpetrated by an elite team of Russian hackers sanctioned by Moscow.
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Biggest vets groups step up pressure on Trump to fire Wilkie
The nationâs six largest veterans groups are calling on President Donald Trump to immediately fire Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie over the mishandling of a congressional aideâs allegation of a sexual assault at a VA hospital
By HOPE YEN Associated Press
December 16, 2020, 7:31 PM
⢠3 min read
The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 7, 2020 file photo, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Richard Wilkie speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the female congressional staffer who made the complaint. His staff also worked to spread negative information about her while ignoring known problems of harassment at the facility. That s according to a blistering investigation rel
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
I have read more than a few stories about the calls for Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to tender his resignation following a report that revealed the VA tried to cover up sexual-assault claims.
First, this is a tempest in a teapot. Mr. Wilkie, a political appointee, will be gone next month when Joe Biden takes office. Thus the demand from some members of Congress and now several veterans groups is pure “woke” grandstanding.
On the whole this was a trivial incident blown out of proportion because of how the VA handled the investigation. If there was a crime it was simple assault, not indecent assault. The venal sin Mr. Wilkie committed was looking into the background of the victim to see if she was credible. That’s a logical thing to do. Today, however, no one dares question the veracity of a woman’s claims; only the credibility of men can be questioned. This seems sexist to me.