He was chatting with a homeless veteran one night in January. He asked what branch of the Armed Services the man had been in. “Special Forces.” He leaned in with interest. “Special Forces! What years? I was in Special Forces.”
Unfortunately for him, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, he was being filmed (as he knew) by CBS Evening News. Unfortunately, he had not been in the Special Forces. Unfortunately, this wasn’t his first recent conspicuous inaccuracy.
The least little misslip of the tongue and they’re all over you.
Previously, he’d said on Meet the Press that, as part of the effort he’s leading to fix the messed-up VA, 900 people had been fired, including 60 people who had “manipulated wait time”. The wait time thing is nasty. For example, some veterans died waiting for health care, and VA staffers altered records to make it seem the average wait for an appointment was 24 days, when it really was 115 days. Some veterans were never put on the wait list, thus preventing them from messing up already-phony figures.
So wow, 60 evil bureaucrats fired over the wait time thing! Actually, it turned out only 8 had been fired. But if you count those who were reprimanded or disciplined, there you are. An internal VA report said “some front-line, middle, and senior managers felt compelled to manipulate” records so they could reach performance goals. Could there be a similar reason to say 60 people were fired?
We popped up from the toilet tank and terminated that federal employee.
What about the 900 fired overall? That seems to include 487 people who weren’t kept on after their initial probationary period.
A VA flack said McDonald “misspoke.” An evasive uncandid word.
When this was quickly followed by the Special Forces faux pas (McDonald went through Army Ranger training, but did not serve as a Ranger, or in any other part of Special Forces), McDonald apologized.
At a press conference, McDonald said “In an attempt to connect with that veteran and make him feel comfortable, I incorrectly stated that I, too, had been in special forces. That was wrong and I have no excuse.”
He sent a statement to the Military Times with the actual word apologize in it:
While I was in Los Angeles, engaging a homeless individual to determine his Veteran status, I asked the man where he had served in the military. He responded that he had served in special forces. I incorrectly stated that I had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement. I have great respect for those who have served our nation in special forces. They, and all veterans, deserve a Department of Veterans Affairs that provides them the care and benefits they have earned.
Not a good apology. He does take responsibility, and he does say it was wrong. He doesn’t say why.
“Misstatement” is no better than “misspeak.” So often people apologize “to anyone who was offended.” So seldom do they add, “To those who weren’t offended, pay better attention. Because what I said was offensive.”
Men! Remember! Probationary employees fear you as much as you fear them!
Some veterans are mad at him, some aren’t. This isn’t a “stolen valor” case. He didn’t say he got a decoration he didn’t get. McDonald had a respectable military career. He could have said, “You know, I trained as a Ranger, but never got to serve as one,” and still made the guy he was talking as comfortable as a person can be while on camera.
One starts to get the idea that McDonald has a serious tendency to say what he thinks we’d like to hear.
You were in Special Forces, bro? Me too!
Those cruddy jerks that lie to veterans? I FIRED THEM ALL, BRO!
Wait. I misbloviated.
