NEIL: WELL,, APPARENTLY THEY ARE
HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME TRYING
TO FIND SOMEONE TO RUN VETERANS
AFFAIRS, BA EVER SINCE
DR. RONNIE JACKSON TOOK HIMSELF
OUT OF THE RUNNING OF HAVING THE
AGENCIES SINCE THE PRIOR
SECRETARY, DAVID SCHALK AND HAD
TO RESIGN.
THEY'VE BEEN COMING UP WITH
LINKS.
THE LATEST NAMES ADDED TO THE
LIST OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES
INCLUDE TWO RETIRED GENERALS,
RONNIE HAWKINS AND MICHAEL
HERRICK ARE.
ADD TO THAT THE CONGRESSMEN
IN AND REPRESENTING JEFF MILLER,
REPUBLICAN ALSO IN THE BOSTON
CONSULTING GROUP.
THEY DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO BLOW
UP IN THEIR FACE, BUT IN THE
MEANTIME, THINGS ARE BLOWING UP
IN MY NEXT GUEST IS RIGHT.
TO TRY TO CORRECT THE USE AT THE
VA AND THE FACT THAT SO MANY
VETERANS HAD TO WAIT FOR CARE,
SOMETIMES MONTHS, SOMETIMES
YEARS.
THAT WOULD BE THE CHANGE FOR THE
WHISTLEBLOWER SCOTT DAVIS IS
RIGHT.
IT IS NOT CHANGING.
HE JOINS US RIGHT NOW
EXCLUSIVELY.
VERY GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.
I DON'T KNOW UNDER THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF ITS GOOD, BUT
NEVERTHELESS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
THEY MIGHT THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME, NEIL APPEARED GOOD TO BE
BACK ON THE PROGRAM.
TRAIN DO LET'S GO FIRST TO WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE OTHERS
DISPUTE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.
THE SO-CALLED CRISIS HOTLINE,
YOU WAIT AND YOU WAIT A LONG
TIME STILL.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE HILL
DID A REPORT ON THIS JUST IN
MARCH THAT VA HAD BEEN CAUGHT
SENDING FALSE REPORTS ABOUT WAIT
TIMES.
WE KNOW THAT VETERANS ARE STILL
WAITING ON AVERAGE LONGER FOR
CARE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT
TALKED ABOUT FIXING WHEN HE WAS
RUNNING FOR OFFICE.
SURE INTO SO YOU HAD SAID
WHETHER THE PRESIDENT REALIZES
IT OR NOT, AND I QUOTE, THINGS
HAVE GOTTEN MUCH WORSE SINCE HE
TOOK OFFICE.
YOU TOOK GREAT CARE NOT TO BLAME
HIM, BUT WHAT COULD IT MEAN?
>> EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOW THE NEW
PRESIDENT, THE PEOPLE WHO RUN
VA, WHO ARE RUNNING IT INTO THE
GROUND WHEN HE WAS CAMPAIGNING
ARE STILL THERE.
PEOPLE LIKE DR. CAROLYN CLANCY
WAS BROUGHT IN TO RUN THE VA
FOUR YEARS AGO DURING THE HEIGHT
OF THE SCANDAL AND 2014.
SO IT IS NOT JUST ENOUGH TO
CHANGE THE PRESIDENT OR BRING IN
A NEW SECRETARY.
YOU HAVE TO GET RID OF THE
PEOPLE CAUSING THE PROBLEM.
IT'S LIKE SAYING WE ARE GOING TO
ARREST BERNIE SANDERS THAT HAD
THE MANAGEMENT TEAM -- I'M
SORRY, BERNIE MADOFF, BUT HAVE
THE MANAGEMENT TEAM RUN THE
SECURITY AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION.
>> I'M GLAD YOU CLARIFIED THE
BERNIE SANDERS REMARK.
YOU SAY IT ALSO ADDS ANOTHER
ROLE TO PROTECT GUYS LIKE YOU,
WHISTLEBLOWERS WHO ALERT PEOPLE
TO A PROBLEM LIKE THIS.
BUT THEY HAVE DONE JUST THE
OPPOSITE.
THEY RETALIATE AGAINST YOU.
WHAT IF THEY DON?
>> ONE OF THE FORMER MANAGER IS
THAT HEALTH ELIGIBILITY CENTER
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEALTH
CARE BACKLOG ACTUALLY FILED A
COMPLAINT AGAINST MYSELF AND
SEVERAL WHISTLEBLOWERS CLAIMING
THAT WE ILLEGALLY ACCESS THE
E-MAIL AND/OR HACKED THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT.
THEY SAID THAT WE VIOLATED THE
CONSUMER -- THE COMPUTER FRAUD
ACT, WHICH IS A LAW DESIGNED TO
ADDRESS CYBERSECURITY ISSUES.
THIS LAW SHOULD'VE BEEN A
VIOLATION OF THE LAW SHOULD'VE
BEEN TURNED OVER TO DOJ OR THE
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING WHEN THIS
PARTICULAR MANAGER, ANGEL
LAWRENCE WENT TO THE OFFICE OF
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, AND THEY
DECLINED TO INVESTIGATE BECAUSE
THE CHARGE HAD NO MERIT.
THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL SUPPOSED TO PROTECT
WHISTLEBLOWERS LIKE MYSELF
DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE AND TURN
THE MATTER OVER TO VA, WHO IN
TURN, DR. CLANCY HAD THE OFFICE
OF THE MEDICAL ASPECT THERE
CONDUCTING A CRIMINAL WHICH
HADN'T AGAINST WHISTLEBLOWERS.
NEIL: THEY ARGUE WITH THAT.
THE VA STATEMENT ON THIS
INVESTIGATION CLAIMING IN WHICH
THEY SAY FOR FEDERAL LOCK ON THE
VA IS REQUIRED TO INVESTIGATE A
REPORT ON ALLEGATIONS OF
WRONGDOING REFERRING TO THE
AGENCY AND SAYING THAT IT'S AN
INDEPENDENT AGENCY FULLY
DEDICATED TO PROTECTING
WHISTLEBLOWERS TO REVIEW ALL OF
THOSE FROM CURRENT AND FORMER
EMPLOYEES OF WRONGDOING.
SHE IDENTIFIED THIS AS A AND
WENT TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL.
THE LAW SAYS THAT VA HAS TO SAY
THEY LOOK INTO THE COMPLAINT.
WHAT VA SHOULD'VE DONE WHEN THE
COMPLAINT WAS GIVEN TO DAVID
SCHALK AND COME IN THE FORMER
SECRETARY WHO WAS FIRED, HIS
AUNT'S ABILITY WAS TO SAY THE
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS ARE
INVESTIGATORS CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATORS ARE INVESTIGATORS
THAT THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
OFFICE LOOKED AT THIS AND FOUND
IT HAD NO MERIT.
BUT HE DECIDED TO DO W-WHISKEY
WITH CAROLYN CLANCY USERS
POSSIBLE FOR THE CURRENT STATE
ADMINISTRATION AND HAVE OFFICE
OF THE MEDICAL ASPECT TO HER
INVESTIGATORS LOOK INTO A MATTER
THEY ARE NOT EVEN QUALIFIED.
NEIL: WHEN DAVID SHAW AND WAS
RUNNING THINGS THERE, DID HE
EVER TALK TO YOU OR ANYONE ON
HIS STAFF TALK TO YOU?
>> EYED COMMUNICATIONS WITH
DAVID SHULKIN ON NUMEROUS
OCCASIONS AND HAD AN EXCHANGE
WITH SECRETARY SHULKIN ABOUT
THIS MANAGER.
HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT
APPEARED HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT
THE ISSUES RAISED ABOUT THE
TIRADES FROM MS. LAWRENCE.
NEIL: THAT IS PRETTY NASTY
STUFF.
I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE
WEEDS WITHOUT.
BUT OF THE CHARGES YOU ARE
MAKING AND THE LACK OF
IMPROVEMENT OR PROGRESS ON CARE
FOR VETERANS COME AWAY TIME, ET
CETERA, WHEN SHULKIN WAS THERE,
DID HE TALK TO YOU SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THAT?
>> WE HAD E-MAIL EXCHANGES.
PLEASE SEND OTHER PEOPLE IN A
STAFF TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME
THEY TOOK MY TESTIMONY.
I TALKED TO INVESTIGATORS AND
NOTHING HAPPENED AT THE SAME
CORRUPT MANAGERS ARE STILL AT
THE MEMBER SERVICES OFFICE IN
ATLANTA, SAME CORRUPT MANAGERS
NEIL: ONE THING THAT HAS CHANGED
AS A LOT OF THE DUTIES THAT SHE
USED TO HAVE YOU DON'T HAVE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE KIND OF
SHUTTING YOU IN THEM WHERE THEY
CAN'T FIRE YOU.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR INTENT
IS, BUT A LOT IN ATLANTA HAVE
NOW GONE TO OTHERS.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE
A JOB.
>> IT'S A GOOD POINT.
THEY PRETTY MUCH GUTTED MY
POSITION.
I THINK THEY HAVE TO MAKE IT
LOOK GOOD.
THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE
PROCESS OF FIRING ME, WHICH IS
SOMETHING THEY STARTED.
THEY'VE ESCALATED HOSTILITIES.
[INAUDIBLE]
>> THEY TRY TO SUSPEND ME
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
THEY SAID I DIDN'T MEET WITH A
SUBORDINATE LEVEL EMPLOYEE WHO
HAD NO RIGHT TO DEMAND A MEETING
WITH ME BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO
TAKE OVER MY JOB DUTIES.
I'D BE ESCALATING THE MATTER.
>> DID HE EVER BRING UP YOUR
TALKING TO THE PRESS OR OUT TIME
AND DUTIES?
>> YES.
DURING THAT CONVERSATION WITH
THE INVESTIGATORS, BUT THEY WANT
TO KNOW ABOUT MY CONVERSATIONS
WITH THE PRESS.
THEY WANTED NO SOURCES FOR
ARTICLES AND THEY ASKED ME ABOUT
CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH
INVESTIGATORS IN THE HOUSE AND
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE.
THE KEY OF THIS DEAL IS THEY'VE
ESCALATED HOSTILITY TOWARDS ME
EVER SINCE I STARTED ADDRESSING
ISSUES ABOUT CAMP LEJEUNE IN THE