Veteran Affairs Secretary: I Won’t Resign

Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki rejected calls for his resignation Tuesday, amid allegations that veteran care facilities had neglected to treat patients in need of urgent care.

Shinseki told the Wall Street Journal that he would work toward improving communications with the American Legion, the nation’s largest veterans advocacy group, which called for Shinseki’s resignation on Monday.

The Legion accused Shinseki of “poor oversight” after whistleblowers came forward with reports of a care facility in Phoenix shunting patients onto a secret waitlist, obscuring prolonged wait times that may have contributed to patient deaths.

“I’m very sensitive to the allegations,” Shinseki told the Journal, promising that he would react to the conclusions of an independent investigation.

[WSJ]