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    Fired VA Secretary Says White House Muzzled Him

    David Shulkin, the ousted Veterans Affairs chief, tells NPR that political forces in the Trump administration want to privatize the VA and that he was not allowed to respond to an ethics controversy.
    by Laurel Wamsley Mar 29, 2018 4 minutes
    Ousted Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin demurred from pointing a finger squarely at President Trump but described a VA riddled with political pressure and conflict.

    Fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin tells NPR's Morning Edition that political forces in the Trump administration want to privatize the VA — and that he was standing in the way.

    "There are many political appointees in the VA that believe that we are moving in the wrong direction or weren't moving fast enough toward privatizing the VA," he said. "I think that it's essential for national security and for the country that we honor our commitment by having a strong VA. I was not against reforming VA, but I was against privatization."

    Those political forces may be why Shulkin says he wasn't allowed to speak out to defend himself against an ethics

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