VA secretary: "No excuse" for my false special forces claim

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald said Tuesday he has "no excuse" for why he erroneously told a homeless veteran in Los Angeles last month that he served in the U.S. military's special forces.

"That was wrong," McDonald said during a hastily convened press conference outside the headquarters of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "I apologize to those who may have been offended by my misstatement."

McDonald blamed his claim on a desire to "connect" with the veteran, who'd told the secretary that he served in the special forces.

"What you try to do when you connect with someone is try to find common ground," McDonald said. He made the false claim during a "CBS Evening News" segment last month on veteran homelessness, when a CBS crew followed him around Los Angeles counting homeless veterans.

He said nobody in his entourage at the time made him aware of his mistake, and he suggested he has no plans to resign over the controversy.

"I want to serve veterans," he said. "I'm here to try to prove that we can make VA work, and that the veterans who we serve can get all the benefits that they've earned."

Though he did not serve in special forces, McDonald is army veteran who served for five years, most of them as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Huffington Post first reported McDonald's mistake on Monday, noting that the 82nd Airborne Division is not considered part of special forces. That designation includes groups like the Green Berets, Army Rangers, and Navy SEALs - highly trained soldiers who are usually deployed on sensitive missions like hostage rescues and counter-terrorism.

Several veterans groups have condemned McDonald for his error but stopped short of calling for him to step down. American Legion National Commander Michael D. Helm called the incident a "lie" and a "disappointment" in a statement, and Concerned Veterans for America CEO Pete Hegseth said he's "not surprised" by McDonald's error.

"Secretary McDonald still has a long way to go before he, and the organization he leads, can truly be trusted yet again by the American people and the veterans they are tasked to serve," Hegseth said.

Reaction on Capitol Hill was mixed. House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Jeff Miller, R-Florida, said he's "disappointed" in McDonald. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, said the incident was "unfortunate," but added that he'd been "so impressed" with McDonald's stewardship of the VA.

But Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, suggested McDonald's track record at the VA - not his misstatement - was the bigger issue.

"It was wrong of him to claim that as part of his resume, but I'm much more concerned about his performance as secretary of Veterans Affairs," McCain said.

McDonald said he's not concerned the issue has undermined his ability to work with Congress to affect change at the department. "Trust is something that is gained every single day, one veteran at a time," he said.

McDonald arrived at the VA last year after a scandal involving long wait times and falsified waiting lists at VA health care facilities forced the ouster of former Secretary Eric Shinseki. Given his familiarity with the military and a high-profile career as the CEO of Procter & Gamble, and the administration hoped McDonald would be just the person to turn around the troubled department.

McDonald said Tuesday the VA is "making progress" on the range of problems it faces.

"Wait times are down 18 percent. The [disability] claim backlog is down about 60 percent. Homelessness is down 33 percent," he said. "We're trying to keep that going."

Despite his show of contrition, McDonald project confidence that he'll be able to move past the controversy over his misstatement.

"For my 61 years, integrity has been one of the foundations of my character," he said. "I will do better to make sure I don't make mistakes like I did in Los Angeles."