VA Chief Got Free Wimbledon Tickets, Wife’s Airfare on Trip, Watchdog Says
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Inspector general’s report says 11 people made trip, with a department employee acting as a ‘personal travel concierge’.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin improperly accepted a gift of Wimbledon tennis tickets, misspent taxpayer money and misused department resources in an official trip to Europe last year, according to an inspector general’s report released Wednesday.
The report also said a department employee acted as a “personal travel concierge” during the trip to Europe, and that Dr. Shulkin’s chief of staff made false claims to a VA ethics official by altering an email to get official approval for Dr. Shulkin’s wife to take part in the trip as an “invitational traveler,” a status that meant the VA would cover her expenses. Her airfare cost taxpayers $4,312.
The inspector general referred the matter involving the chief of staff, Vivieca Wright Simpson, to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. The report said the Justice agency chose not to prosecute the case.
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