WASHINGTON – A new report published by
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG)
substantiated allegations that a senior official committed ethics and
conflicts-of-interest violations. The senior VA official, who served as the
executive director of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) Education
Success, has resigned after being accused of violating laws and regulations
governing conflicts of interest in dealings with her spouse’s employer. The OIG
report comes after Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa)
reviewed whistleblower complaints and
pushed
for more information from the VA.
“The findings from the Inspector
General’s investigation are alarming, and it’s clear a senior official violated
ethics rules by engaging in VA business with a company her husband worked
for. I have sent four letters to the VA
asking questions about this matter, but the VA has failed to produce a single
relevant document or respond to any of my questions. This administration has
espoused being the most transparent in history, but time and time again they’ve
continued to stonewall congressional investigations. This complete and utter
lack of transparency from the VA is unacceptable, and I’ll continue working to
ensure those who engage in wrongdoing are held accountable,” Grassley said.
After Grassley
sought watchdog reviews of alleged ethics violations, the leaking of market-sensitive
information and whistleblower reprisal last April, the VA OIG
confirmed an administrative investigation into the allegations. It was later
revealed the process was riddled with significant obstruction of basic
questions, prompting Grassley to
demand answers from VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
Below are four key findings from the VA
OIG’s report:
- A senior official
participated in matters involving her spouse’s employer without considering an
apparent conflict of interest and acted contrary to ethics guidance she
received;
- The senior
official’s interactions with the Veterans Education Success (VES) president
violated the apparent conflict rule;
- The senior
official provided insufficient detail about their spouse’s business in 2019 and
2020 public financial disclosures but remedied it;
- The senior
official refused to cooperate fully in the OIG’s investigation.
In an effort to bring more transparency
and accountability to government agencies, Grassley has
introduced a bipartisan bill – the
Inspector General Testimonial Subpoena
Authority Act – which would give inspectors general certain subpoena
authority to strengthen their ability to safeguard taxpayers.
Read the full VA OIG report by clicking
HERE.
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