Eric Shinseki Resigns As U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
On Friday, Eric Shinseki resigned as the U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs after a controversy involving delays in healthcare for military veterans broke out.
President Barack Obama said he had accepted the VA chief’s resignation after meeting with Shinseki Friday.
Earlier that day, Shinseki apologized for what he called “irresponsible and unacceptable” practices at VA health care facilities and announced that he has started the process of firing leadership at the Phoenix facility at the epicenter of the scandal.
“Given the facts I now know, I apologize as the senior leader of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” he said at a meeting of the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans in Washington D.C.
“I cannot explain the lack of integrity among some of the leaders of our health care facilities,” he said. “This is something I rarely encountered during 38 years in uniform. And so I will not defend it, because it is indefensible, but I can take responsibility for it and I do.”
“We will use all authority at our disposal to enforce accountability among senior leaders who have been found to have instigated or tolerated irresponsible or dishonorable scheduling practices at VA health care facility,” he added.
VIDEO of Shinseki’s statement:
Update: President Obama told the media that he has accepted embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation.