Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki “needs to be removed,” former presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday night.
Calling a recent inspector general (IG) report that found systematic mismanagement at the department “inexcusable,” Romney told Fox News that Shinseki “should resign, or he should be replaced by the president.”
{mosads}”He has not demonstrated the kind of leadership that you would hope to see in a circumstance of this nature,” Romney said.
The former Massachusetts governor went on to suggest that the “unbelievable mess” at the VA was similar to other missteps within the Obama administration.
“There has not been a level of competency with regards to ObamaCare, with regards to the VA, with regards to the IRS — and people have to be held accountable,” Romney said.
Romney joined a growing chorus of lawmakers calling for Shinseki’s ouster in the aftermath of the VA report. According to ABC News, at least 58 members of Congress — including 20 Democrats — have now asked the retired four-star general to resign.
A White House official said Wednesday that Shinseki was considered on probation, but President Obama was looking to take measured action that would best enable problems at the agency to be fixed.
In an op-ed published Thursday, Shinseki said the findings of the IG report were “reprehensible” and that he was scrambling resources to help veterans at a Phoenix hospital at the center of the controversy.
He also pledged to punish those responsible for misconduct.
“After 38 years in the Army, I am honored and privileged to serve veterans as the secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I remain committed to providing the high-quality care and benefits that veterans have earned and deserve. And we will,” he wrote.