Reuters
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ousted his embattled Veterans Affairs secretary, David Shulkin, in the wake of an internal investigation that found he had misused taxpayer dollars on a recent trip to Europe.
Trump said in a tweet that Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, his physician, would become Veterans Affairs secretary.
I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018
....In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin’s service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018
The move also came weeks after Shulkin alleged that forces at the VA and the White House were conspiring to oust him.
Shulkin recently came under fire after a department inspector-general report said he misspent taxpayer funds on a trip to Europe. The report found, among other things, that Shulkin improperly accepted tickets to the Wimbledon tennis tournament in England, and that the taxpayers improperly paid for his wife, Merle Beri, to travel on the European work trip.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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