Rep. Trey Gowdy: Shulkin was right to leave
In an interview with "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, praised President Trump for firing David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
"I think that was a good idea that he decided to leave," Gowdy said, adding that "the president was right to either replace him, or Dr. Shulkin was right to leave."
Navy rear admiral Ronny Jackson was picked to replace him, the president tweeted Wednesday, pending Senate confirmation. Dr. Jackson served as the White House Physician to both Presidents Trump and Barack Obama.
In an op-ed published Thursday in the New York Times, Shulkin defended his work for the embattled agency. He claimed "advocates within the administration" saw him as an "obstacle to privatization who had to be removed."
However, Shulkin was one of several cabinet officials who faced intense scrutiny last year for costly travel expenses. Last month, an audit by an internal watchdog for the VA found Shulkin had improperly accepted tennis tickets, likely misused funds to pay for a trip his wife took in Europe, and directed staff on official time to arrange his personal sightseeing.
As House Oversight Committee Chairman, Gowdy last year sent letters to the White House and 24 federal agencies requesting records of senior officials' travel.
"I think being in public service is a sacred trust and you shouldn't spend other people's money any differently from how you would spend your own," Gowdy told Brennan.
Shulkin ultimately faced calls for his ouster from Capitol Hill, as a result. But, he has continued to insist there was "nothing improper" about the trip, telling NPR in an interview Thursday morning that it was "completely mischaracterized."
Gowdy was dismissive of the departing secretary's claims he had been unfairly criticized.
"I think the questions are better than his answers in this fact pattern," said Gowdy.
Congressman Gowdy appears this Sunday on "Face the Nation" with Senator Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, to discuss their new book "Unified."
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