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Veterans Affairs: Mar-a-Lago Members Shaped Policy, VA Secretary Firing

The ProPublica investigation documented a 'shadow VA' in which the three Mar-a-Lago members — who paid $200,000 entry fees — exchanged hundreds of calls and emails with VA officials, reviewed candidates for top positions, influenced multimillion-dollar contract decisions including a $10 billion electronic health records contract, and shaped the VA's strategic direction without any official appointment. VA Secretary Shulkin had cooperated with the arrangements. He was fired amid internal feuding; Trump nominated his personal physician Ronny Jackson as replacement; Jackson withdrew after Senate investigators documented allegations of drunk driving, overprescribing, and creating a 'toxic work environment.'

Record summary

Grade

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
Washington, D.C. / Palm Beach, FL
Category
Corruption & Self-Dealing
Legal posture
Reported
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Cross-referenced
ICC relevance
No
Sources
4 cited
Stable ID
trump-veterans-affairs-reforms-failures
Victims
Veterans dependent on VA healthcare and services; government contracting integrity through informal influence on billion-dollar contracts; oversight and accountability norms
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, President; tolerated and enabled Mar-a-Lago member shadow influence over VA; nominated unqualified personal physician as VA Secretary— White House
  • Ike Perlmutter, Marvel Entertainment chairman; Mar-a-Lago member; exercised undisclosed informal influence over VA leadership and contracts— Mar-a-Lago informal advisory group
  • Bruce Moskowitz, Palm Beach physician; Mar-a-Lago member; exercised undisclosed informal influence over VA medical leadership and policy— Mar-a-Lago informal advisory group

Key points

  • The ProPublica investigation documented that Ike Perlmutter, Bruce Moskowitz, and Marc Sherman — who had no official role, no security clearances, and no legal accountability — exchanged hundreds of communications with VA officials and exercised influence over leadership decisions, contracts, and the VA's strategic direction from at least 2017
  • The three Mar-a-Lago members reportedly influenced the VA's choice of an electronic health records contractor — a $10 billion contract to Cerner Corporation — and shaped the criteria and timeline for the decision; none had public health technology expertise
  • VA Secretary David Shulkin was fired by tweet in March 2018; Trump immediately nominated his personal physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, who had no executive management or healthcare administration experience, to lead a department with 370,000 employees
  • Senate investigators examining Jackson's nomination documented allegations from current and former colleagues: drunk driving in a government vehicle, overprescribing to White House staff, and creating a 'toxic work environment'; Jackson withdrew before his confirmation hearing could be scheduled
  • Shulkin wrote an op-ed in the New York Times after his firing criticizing unnamed 'political appointees' at the VA who sought to privatize veterans' healthcare; he characterized efforts to use the Veterans Choice program as a Trojan horse for full privatization as 'ideological' rather than evidence-based
  • Robert Wilkie, who ultimately became VA Secretary, later faced a congressional investigation into allegations that he had attempted to discredit a veteran who filed a sexual assault complaint — an investigation that found the allegations credible

Overview

Three Mar-a-Lago members — who paid $200,000 to join Trump's club — gained extraordinary informal influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs. They reviewed leadership candidates, influenced a $10 billion contract, and shaped VA policy. They had no official role, no security clearances, and no public accountability.

ProPublica published the documentation. The department serves 9 million veterans.

The Shadow VA

The ProPublica investigation documented what the reporters called a "shadow VA" — a parallel decision-making structure operating through informal channels. VA officials exchanged hundreds of messages with the Mar-a-Lago group. Leadership candidates were reviewed by people who had paid club membership fees, not Senate confirmation.

The $10 billion Cerner electronic health records contract — a decision affecting how the VA manages healthcare for 9 million veterans — was influenced by a Marvel Entertainment chairman and a Palm Beach physician, based on their access to the president and his club.

The Nomination

When Shulkin was fired, Trump nominated his personal physician Ronny Jackson. Jackson's credentials for managing 370,000 employees and a $200 billion budget were: he was Trump's doctor and Trump liked him.

Senate investigators examining his fitness documented allegations from current and former colleagues across his career: drunk driving in a government vehicle, overprescribing to White House staff, and creating a toxic work environment for subordinates. Jackson withdrew before his hearing. He later ran for Congress and won.

The Privatization Fight

Shulkin's op-ed after his firing named the fight: political appointees at the VA were trying to use the Veterans Choice program — a bipartisan policy allowing veterans to use private doctors — as the foundation for full privatization of the VA. Shulkin said the effort was ideological, not evidence-based. The Mar-a-Lago network's involvement in VA policy was consistent with that agenda.

Update log

  1. Documented from ProPublica investigation.

Sequence of events

  1. Mar-a-Lago members begin informal VA influence

    Perlmutter, Moskowitz, and Sherman begin exchanging communications with VA officials, reviewing leadership candidates, and shaping policy — with no official appointment, security clearance, or public disclosure.

  2. Shulkin fired by tweet

    Trump fires VA Secretary David Shulkin — who had previously received bipartisan praise — via Twitter. Shulkin later writes that unnamed political appointees were seeking to privatize the VA.

  3. Ronny Jackson nominated, allegations emerge

    Trump nominates his personal physician Ronny Jackson to lead the VA's 370,000 employees. Senate investigators document allegations of drunk driving, overprescribing, and toxic leadership. Jackson withdraws.

  4. ProPublica publishes 'Shadow Rulers of the VA'

    ProPublica publishes a detailed investigation documenting the scope of Mar-a-Lago member influence over the VA, including hundreds of communications and influence over the $10 billion Cerner contract.

Sources

  1. The Shadow Rulers of the VA — ProPublica archived ✓
  2. David Shulkin Is Out as Veterans Affairs Secretary — The New York Times
  3. Ronny Jackson faces new allegations; withdraws as VA nominee — The Washington Post
  4. ProPublica: Mar-a-Lago members shaped VA policy without accountability — The Associated Press

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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