“If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is a disgrace and I will not tolerate it. Period,” said U.S. President Barack Obama, as he vented his anger, according to the Huffington Post. Obama was angry over allegations of misconduct at Veterans Affairs hospitals and vowed to root out anyone responsible.
“I will not stand for it. Not as commander-in-chief, but also not as an American,” the President also said. “None of us should.” Barack Obama insisted that anyone found to have manipulated or falsified records at a VA facility “will be punished,” according to the Huffington Post, but he also urged patience as the administration carries out its investigation.
According to the New York Times, President Obama expressed outrage about allegations of misconduct at veteran’s hospitals and has stated that people in the Department of Veterans Affairs — including Eric Shinseki, its secretary — could be punished.
“Once we know the facts, I assure you, if there was misconduct, people will be punished,” he said, according to the statement. “It is important that our veterans don’t become another political football,” U.S. President Obama said. “This is an area where Democrats and Republicans should always be working together.”
“Nobody is more outraged about this problem right now” than Obama, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said in an interview broadcast today on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “And he will continue to press, as it relates to this question of timely access to care, until it is fixed,” he said according to Bloomberg News.
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