VA secretary apologizes anew for misstating military service

WASHINGTON -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Tuesday integrity and character "is part of who I am" and apologized anew for erroneously claiming he served in the military's special forces.

At a news conference outside VA offices, McDonald said he made the misstatement in a conversation with a homeless veteran he was trying "to connect with."

McDonald added: "I apologize for that. I have no excuse for it."

The VA secretary has drawn expressions of disappointment but no demands for his resignation. He served five years in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, qualified as an Army Ranger but did not serve in a Ranger regiment.

He never was part of the special forces -- elite units that are trained to perform unconventional missions including covert operations, hostage rescue and other high-risk actions. McDonald apologized Monday after making the claim last month.

"A lie is a lie," said Michael Helm, national commander of the American Legion, the largest veterans service organization. "I can't believe people do this."

Helm said McDonald's comment was especially disappointing because he leads a department that is trying to restore trust following a nationwide scandal over long wait times at VA health centers and falsified records covering up delays.

"The secretary has apologized, as he certainly should," Helm said. "We hope that he can restore the trust that he lost."

Two other veterans groups, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, also said they accepted McDonald's apology.

House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller of Florida said McDonald's comment exacerbates a "rough couple of weeks" for the VA, which included what Miller called "inflated claims" about firings at the VA since McDonald took office.

"I hope Secretary McDonald will redouble his efforts to ensure his statements -- and those of all VA officials -- are completely accurate," Miller said. "This is the only way the department can regain the trust of the veterans and taxpayers it is charged with serving."

McDonald apologized Monday after making the claim while speaking to a homeless veteran last month. In a statement released by the VA, McDonald said he "incorrectly stated that I had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement."

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday that McDonald "is somebody who understands firsthand the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make. There's no reason to think that the mistake he made should interfere with his ability to lead the fight for our veterans."

President Barack Obama chose the former Procter & Gamble CEO to take over the scandal-plagued VA last year, and McDonald took office last July.

The questions about McDonald's service come as TV newsmen Brian Williams and Bill O'Reilly have had their claims about covering foreign wars called into question.

McDonald won qualified support Tuesday from a Republican lawmaker who sparred with the VA secretary at a hearing this month.

"The secretary's misstatement was an error, but it doesn't dim the fact that he served honorably," said Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo. "We should all take him at his word and Washington shouldn't spend the next two weeks arguing about it."

McDonald "has a job to do -- clean up the scandal-plagued VA," Coffman said in a statement. "This latest controversy shouldn't shift one iota of focus away from that long overdue task."

Coffman and McDonald tussled at a recent congressional hearing over construction delays and cost increases at a troubled Denver VA hospital. After a few minutes of arguing, McDonald snapped at the four-term lawmaker: "I've run a large company, sir. What have you done?"

Coffman, an Army veteran, served in both Iraq wars. He did not respond at the Feb. 11 hearing, but noted later that, unlike McDonald, "I have never run a federal agency that tolerates corruption the way the VA has."