Trump allies at the Department of Veterans Affairs have begun an effort to oust or transfer officials at the agency who appear to be disloyal to President Trump, according to a new report.
The reassignment effort is being spearheaded by several political appointees under acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke, and includes reorganization of more than 12 civil servants from the leadership suite at VA to lower-profile positions, the Washington Post reports.
Meanwhile, several others have been moved to other cities for lower-profile positions, and some have been removed from their posts for objecting to the leadership group, anonymous sources told the Post.
They also disclosed that a high-ranking executive who first joined the VA during the Obama administration stepped down from his post amid a dispute with Trump aides.
“These are people who served multiple administrations,” a reassigned employee said, according to the Post. “But they only want them to serve the Trump administration. You can’t run a department like that.”
According to the VA, the reorganization of the agency will contribute to positive changes.
“Under President Trump, VA won’t wait to take necessary action when it comes to improving the department and its service to veterans,” VA spokesperson Curt Cashour said, per the Post.
The report comes as Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, Robert Wilkie, is awaiting full confirmation from the Senate. He was approved by the Veterans’ Affairs Committee earlier this month.
Wilkie was the former assistant defense secretary under George W. Bush. He served as acting secretary of the VA following David Shulkin’s removal, and as he awaits confirmation, has returned to his role as head of military personnel at the Defense Department.
[Also read: Trump diagnoses the haters with ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’]
