VA Secretary backs Trump: “I judge a man by his actions” [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie has guarded President Donald Trump, dismissing the reports that he called deceased US soldiers in France during World War I “losers” and his derogatory comments against the late Senator John McCain.
• According to the secretary, Trump’s actions were valuable to the veterans nationwide in “ways not seen since the end of WWII.”
• Trump has strongly denied the allegations.

Despite reports that President Donald Trump’s description of deceased US troops in France as “losers” and his harsh remarks against the late Senator John McCain, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie defended the president against accusations.

When questioned if ever he had heard Trump making derogatory comments about US service members or Veterans, the secretary said: “absolutely not.”

Citing the report that Trump called the US marines who died at Belleau Wood in World War I as “suckers,” Wilkie said, “I would be offended too if I thought it was true.”

The Atlantic reported that in 2018, Trump canceled a trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France, saying “ Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.”

Wilkie was pressed by Dana Bash of CNN on dismissing the reports, noting that the information was confirmed by various sources which include CNN.

“What I’m looking at is the Donald Trump I know. The Donald Trump who has turned around Veteran Affairs,” Wilkie said. 

Wilkie was also asked by Bash whether the report was aligned with Trump’s remarks back in 2015 when he said that McCain was a “war hero because he was captured,” adding that he “liked people that weren’t captured.” Bash further pressed the secretary if Trump’s snide remarks about McCain and other war prisoners support The Atlantic’s report.

Wilkie again disregarded the report and referred to the president’s comments on McCain as “politics.”

“It’s politics. It’s the heat of a campaign. I judge a man by his actions,” Wilkie said.

Wilkie argued that Trump’s contributions were valuable to the veterans nationwide in “ways not seen since the end of WWII.”

The CNN reporter asked Wilkie on the president’s continuous credit grabbing narrative of passing the Veterans Choice Act, a program that was passed during former President Barack Obama’s term which was expanded by Trump in 2018.

“You just answered your own question by saying this Trump initiative … expands choice to all veterans,” Wilkie replied.

Trump has strongly denied the claims even with multiple sources validating the report.

Source: The Hill