VA secretary David Shulkin is said to be acting erratically amid reports of a new internal investigation
- Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has reportedly been acting erratically amid a new internal report.
- Although the specific allegations of the report are unclear, sources told The Daily Beast it scrutinizes his use of his security detail.
- Shulkin reportedly ordered an armed guard to stand outside of his office, and cut off access to employees he suspected were disloyal.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has reportedly been acting erratically amid a new internal report from the Inspector General expected to be released in two weeks, The Daily Beast reported on Friday.
The news outlet's sources claim Shulkin's suspicions and anxiety have him acting "extremely paranoid," and he is believed to have ordered an armed guard to stand outside of his office. Shulkin is also shutting out employees he suspects are disloyal, The Daily Beast's Lachlan Markay, Asawin Suebsaeng, and Sam Stein wrote.
Reports surround Shulkin's behavior come amid renewed scrutiny over his use of the department's resources, which may involved his alleged use of a security detail to run personal errands.
The Daily Beast's sources say the Inspector General's potential findings are not entirely clear, and the pending report is expected to undergo some revisions before it's made public.
Shulkin was previously under the microscope after a separate report concluded that he improperly accepted tickets to a Wimbledon tennis match during a government-funded trip with his wife, according to the Associated Press. His chief of staff, Vivieca Wright Simpson, later made false statements and is believed to have forged an email to expense the trip.
Shulkin criticized the findings in that report and said it contained "a thread of bias."
Following a steady drumbeat of negative press coverage, Shulkin reportedly surrounded himself with lawyers and a pubic relations firm.
Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama administration, was hired by President Donald Trump to lead the department in January 2017. He leads the largest health care system in the US, one that oversees the care of over nine million enrolled veterans.