The two Republican senators from Arizona, John McCain and Jeff Flake, on Wednesday called for Veterans Affairs Sec. Eric Shinseki to resign following the release of an inspector general’s report that concluded that wait times at Phoenix VA facilities were much longer than previously reported.
“I also, with some reluctance, believe that given the lack of responsiveness of Secretary Shinseki to numerous inquiries from Senator Flake and me, that it’s time for Secretary Shinseki to step down,” McCain said during a joint press conference with Flake. “If Secretary Shinseki does not step down voluntarily, then I call on the President of the United States to relieve him of his duties, to fire him.”
McCain also called for the Justice Department and the FBI to get involved.
“These allegations are not just administrative problems, these are criminal problems,” he said.
The inspector general report found that veterans at the Phoenix VA hospital waited for an average of 115 days for an initial medical appointment.
