Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D), who’s currently running to reclaim the governor’s mansion, on Thursday called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
Crist made the call in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Read Crist’s statement below:
I appreciate Secretary Eric Shinseki’s service to his country, and while we don’t know precisely what happened here, we do know that there must be accountability and confidence in leadership in order to get to the truth and provide veterans the medical care they’ve earned and deserve. That confidence is gone. I think it would be best if the Secretary stepped down and allowed others to get the VA fixed once and for all.
Moreover, if I were Governor, rather than using this moment as a political tool, I would take immediate action to employ any and all resources needed to make sure that our veterans here in Florida get the care that they need and deserve. I’d start by calling the legislature back in a special session to expand coverage to the more than 41,000 Florida veterans who fall into the health care gap and are not currently insured due to Rick Scott and the legislature’s failure.
This isn’t an issue of left versus right — it’s a crisis that requires leadership.
Earlier in the day another high profile Democratic candidate, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, also urged the secretary to step down. Both Democrats are calling for Shinseki to step down over a scandal centered around dozens of veterans dying while waiting for medical treatment.
