The Case of the Brew Master ' s Plot - Was the Veterans Affairs Secretary ' s Travel Spending Scandalous, or Was He Framed in a Plot to Oust a Political Moderate?

DiscussionDr David Shulkin, a holdover appointee of President Obama who was nominated to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs by President Trump, was alleged by the VA Inspector General to have committed various ethical violations involving a trip to Europe the Secretary took with his wife.  This appeared to be just the latest in a string of travel-related scandals by top officials of the Trump administration.When this was first reported, I was inclined to see Dr Shulkin as an entitled, and conflicted  former health care executive who ran afoul of the government ' s strict ethical standards.  (Dr Shulkin ' sofficial VA biography lists his previous positions, including " chief executive roles at Morristown Medical Center, and the Atlantic Health System Accountable Care Organization. He also served as President and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. " His 2016 federal financial disclosure,according to Open Secrets, listed assets of $9,342,201 to $24,966,000.  Also, he had served on advisory boards and boards of directors of numerous commercial health care firms, and held stock options from some of these positions.)Note that the NY Times editorial page justsupported that position, lumping his case with that of other Trump cabinet members with " dubious ethics. "But on review, his travel improprieties did not seem as serious as those of some other administration figures (for example, now ex-Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr  Tom Price...
Source: Health Care Renewal - Category: Health Management Tags: Donald Trump ill-informed management mission-hostile management political ideology politics Veterans Affairs Source Type: blogs