As President Donald Trump continues to clean house, embattled Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin will reportedly be the next high profile departure from the White House, The Associated Press reported Sunday evening.
According to administration officials who spoke with the AP, Shulkin will be pushed out of the White House this week, with one saying the odds of it happening in the next few days are “50-50.” Trump is reportedly waiting to push Shulkin out until he has decided on a replacement. One person familiar with the discussion told the AP that the White House is currently looking at at least six candidates to head the VA, including Pete Hegseth, who works as a contributor on “Fox and Friends,” Trump’s favorite show.
Shulkin is an Obama-era holdover who has recently come under intense scrutiny over an internal watchdog report released in February that found he had improperly accepted tickets to Wimbledon and that his staff had made changes to an email to give his wife reason to travel to Europe with him, on the taxpayers’ dime. A separate internal investigation, looking into an allegation that Shulkin had his office’s security detail come with him to Home Depot and carry furniture, is set to be released in coming weeks.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has reportedly told Shulkin in recent weeks that he’s uncomfortable with Shulkin’s statements in the media, voicing complaints about internal feuds within his office, according to the AP.
