THE PUBLIC reasons given for firing Dr. David Shulkin as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the withdrawal of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson’s nomination to replace him were misleading.
Shulkin was not forced to resign because he took one unauthorized trip. Compared with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, he was a paragon of virtue. Nor was Jackson forced to withdraw because of his lack of management experience. Three former VA chiefs endorsed him, and this criteria did not keep Trump from selecting others for Cabinet positions.
Shulkin and Jackson were pushed aside because neither believed that completely privatizing veterans’ health care was a good idea for veterans or the country.
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