Amid controversy over Hillary Clinton’s comments last week about the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sen. John McCain praised Sen. Bernie Sanders, her Democratic opponent, for his longtime support of veterans.
“He does have a record of advocacy for our veterans,” McCain said of Sanders Wednesday on a conference call with reporters and Rep. Jeff Miller, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
“I will say that Bernie Sanders worked very hard when he was chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee,” McCain said, referencing the committee gavel Sanders held from 2013 to the Democrats’ loss of the Senate this year.
“He and I had many disagreements, but we were able to come together finally, after many spirited discussions,” McCain said.
“I think my reward will be in heaven, not on Earth, after that exercise,” he added.
Clinton sparked controversy Friday when she suggested Republicans had exploited problems with the VA in pursuit of a partisan plan to privatize VA care. She said the agency’s failure are not as “widespread” as Republicans have made them out to be.
Miller accused Clinton of politicizing what should be a nonpartisan issue.
“The interesting thing that Hillary Clinton has done is, she has interjected politics into this discussion,” Miller said Wednesday.
The Florida Republican said President Obama has contributed to the VA’s lingering issues by putting the agency on the back burner.
“The president is culpable in this problem,” Miller said. “To my knowledge, he has never been to the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Republicans seized on Clinton’s remarks this week, highlighting the thousands of veterans still waiting for care and the poor conditions that have yet to be addressed in VA facilities around the country.
