ETHICS/VA/VETS: “Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said Thursday [2-15-18] he would reimburse the U.S. government for costs associated with a trip to Europe that was the subject of a critical internal-watchdog report, and added that he wouldn’t resign.
Dr. Shulkin told reporters that he would pay back the government for his wife’s travel costs for the summer 2017 trip to Copenhagen and London and make a contribution to the U.S. treasury equal to the cost of tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament in July.
‘Everybody is concerned,’ he said on Capitol Hill after appearing at a House hearing. ‘Everybody knows how much work we have to do in the VA. We have to continue the progress.’
Dr. Shulkin said he already had spoken to President Donald Trump about the report’s findings and was scheduled to meet with White House officials for more discussions about the report.
The report by the Veterans Affairs Department’s inspector general, released Wednesday, said Dr. Shulkin misspent taxpayer money and improperly accepted Wimbledon tennis tickets during the trip last July.
The report also said that Dr. Shulkin’s chief of staff altered an email to gain official approval for the secretary’s wife to take part in the trip as an ‘invitational traveler,’ which enabled her expenses to be covered by the government. The report recommended Dr. Shulkin reimburse the government for the $4,312 paid to cover his wife’s travel costs and contribute to the treasury the cost of the tennis tickets.”
-Peter Nicholas, “VA Secretary Says He’ll Reimburse U.S. for Disputed European Travel Costs,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 15, 2018 04:01pm