VA Secretary Issues Another Apology

ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald Tuesday again apologized for misstating his service record last month in a conversation with a homeless man who said he served in special forces.

Speaking outside VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., McDonald told reporters, “I made a misstatement. I apologize for that. I have no excuse for it but if you look at my 61 years of biography, you’ll never find anywhere in any of my biographies that I’ve claimed to be part of special forces. I’ve never claimed that. It was a misstatement, it was a mistake.”

In late January, CBS-TV videotaped McDonald responding, “Special forces? What years? I was in special forces.”

Although an Army veteran with the 82nd Airborne Division while also winning the Meritorious Service Medal, McDonald never served in any branch of special forces that includes the Army Rangers, Green Berets, Delta Force and Navy SEALs.

McDonald, who issued a lengthy written apology less than 24 hours earlier, said Tuesday, “We at VA are working hard to restore trust and again I apologize to those who may have been offended by my misstatement.”

McDonald was confirmed by the Senate last June to take over an agency rife with problems, including unacceptable wait times for thousands of veterans seeking medical care.

A month later, Congress overwhelming approved $17 billion in funding to help tens of thousands of veterans who’ve been unable to get prompt medical attention.

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