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Report: VA Chief Shulkin Misused Taxpayer Funds for European Junket

HeadlineFeb 15, 2018

Back in the United States, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is set to face tough questions before a House panel today, after a government report found he misused more than $120,000 in taxpayer funds to bring his wife along on an official trip to Europe that saw the pair visiting castles, taking boat rides and attending the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The scathing report by the U.S. inspector general found Shulkin’s chief of staff doctored an email to convince an ethics lawyer to approve a $4,300 ticket to fly Shulkin’s wife overseas. Investigators also found another of Shulkin’s aides “effectively acted as a personal travel concierge,” spending many hours arranging tourist activities for Shulkin and his wife, rather than conducting official VA business. On Wednesday, Colorado Republican Congressmember Mike Coffman called on Shulkin to resign, tweeting, “It’s exactly corruption and abuses like this that doesn’t help our veterans.” Shulkin has been summoned to answer questions at the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs today.

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