{"slug":"trump-veterans-affairs-reforms-failures","title":"Veterans Affairs: Mar-a-Lago Members Shaped Policy, VA Secretary Firing","date":"2018-05-01","lastUpdated":"2018-09-01","description":"A ProPublica investigation in 2018 documented that three wealthy Mar-a-Lago members — Ike Perlmutter (Marvel Entertainment chairman), Bruce Moskowitz (Palm Beach doctor), and Marc Sherman (lawyer) — had gained extraordinary informal influence over the Department of Veterans Affairs, making decisions about leadership, contracts, and policy with no official role, security clearances, or accountability. Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, one of the most respected bipartisan figures in the department, in 2018 and attempted to install his personal White House physician Ronny Jackson — who was forced to withdraw amid allegations of misconduct.","summary":"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.'","category":"corruption","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.propublica.org/article/ike-perlmutter-bruce-moskowitz-marc-sherman-shadow-rulers-of-the-va","title":"The Shadow Rulers of the VA","publisher":"ProPublica"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/politics/trump-fires-veterans-affairs-secretary-shulkin.html","title":"David Shulkin Is Out as Veterans Affairs Secretary","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ronny-jackson-faces-new-allegations/2018/04/25/1f52e26e-48b0-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html","title":"Ronny Jackson faces new allegations; withdraws as VA nominee","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-va-shadow-rulers-perlmutter-mar-a-lago","title":"ProPublica: Mar-a-Lago members shaped VA policy without accountability","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["veterans","VA","Mar-a-Lago","corruption","first-term","Perlmutter","Ronny-Jackson"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-01-21","title":"Mar-a-Lago members begin informal VA influence","summary":"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."},{"date":"2018-03-28","title":"Shulkin fired by tweet","summary":"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."},{"date":"2018-04-24","title":"Ronny Jackson nominated, allegations emerge","summary":"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."},{"date":"2018-09-01","title":"ProPublica publishes 'Shadow Rulers of the VA'","summary":"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."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C. / Palm Beach, FL","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Veterans dependent on VA healthcare and services; government contracting integrity through informal influence on billion-dollar contracts; oversight and accountability norms","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; tolerated and enabled Mar-a-Lago member shadow influence over VA; nominated unqualified personal physician as VA Secretary","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Ike Perlmutter","role":"Marvel Entertainment chairman; Mar-a-Lago member; exercised undisclosed informal influence over VA leadership and contracts","institution":"Mar-a-Lago informal advisory group"},{"name":"Bruce Moskowitz","role":"Palm Beach physician; Mar-a-Lago member; exercised undisclosed informal influence over VA medical leadership and policy","institution":"Mar-a-Lago informal advisory group"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2018-09-01","summary":"Documented from ProPublica investigation."}]}}