Veterans lashed out against Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for her comments about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) scandal.
Clinton told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that the VA scandal “was overblown, and Republicans used it to serve their own agenda.”
“You know, I don’t understand why we have such a problem because there have been a number of surveys of veterans, and overall, veterans who do get treated are satisfied with their treatment,” she told Maddow when asked what she would do to fix the VA. “Now, nobody would believe that from the coverage that you see, and the constant berating of the VA that comes from the Republicans, in…in part in pursuit of this ideological agenda that they have.”
Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of the Iraq Veterans of America (IAVA), expressed disagreement on Twitter with Clinton’s views. He even asked if any Sunday political shows would also challenge her comments.
ICYMI Clinton: VA scandal is not a ‘widespread’ problem. https://t.co/t7tDENfaXq Vets disagree. She admits she doesn't understand it. @IAVA
— Paul (PJ) Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) October 27, 2015
Will any Sunday shows cover (or Prez candidates respond to) Clinton's head-scratcher comment on #VAScandal? https://t.co/2SEk3u2QaC #IAVA
— Paul (PJ) Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) October 25, 2015
Concerned Veterans for America did criticize Clinton’s comments. CEO Pete Hegseth said:
Hillary Clinton has shown that just like the Obama Administration, of which she was a part, she will minimize the deep-rooted problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs and engage in partisan attacks against those who propose real and fundamental reform.
CNN discovered that the VA problem is only “getting worse–veterans continue to wait months for care at some VA facilities.” Top VA official Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson admitted that “some veterans are still waiting too long for care.”
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