Apparently Jay Carney lies a lot. Who knew. But this is low even for this administration.
While the American Legion statement criticized the fake firing and lack of accountability, while holding a Town Hall to call for accountability at the VA, White House spokesman Jay Carney pretended that the American Legion was praising Obama.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki announced May 16 that he has accepted the resignation of his under secretary for health, Dr. Robert Petzel.
Responding to the news, American Legion National Commander Daniel M. Dellinger said, “This move by VA is not a corrective action, but a continuation of business as usual. Dr. Petzel was already scheduled to retire this year, so his resignation now really won’t make that much of a difference.
“Meanwhile, Secretary Shinseki and Under Secretary Hickey remain on the job. They are both part of VA’s leadership problem, and we want them to resign as soon as possible. This isn’t personal. VA needs a fundamental shift in leadership if it is to defeat its systemic lack of accountability.
So what did Jay Carney twist that into?
At the White House briefing today, Press Secretary Jay Carney repeatedly suggested the American Legion had praised the Department of Veterans Affairs for the resignation Friday of top VA health official Dr. Robert Petzel.
Here’s what Carney said at the White House briefing: “The American Legion said that the group looks at Petzel’s resignation as a, quote, step towards addressing the leadership problem at the VA. So I think that undercuts the assertion that that is not a meaningful development.”
Carney went on to cite the American Legion nine times during the briefing.
But surely Carney based that on something. Someone at the American Legion did say this was a step…
The official quoted, spokesman John Raughter, acknowledged saying it was a step forward but not much of a step.
“It was a small a step,” Raughter told ABC News. “It was going to happen anyway. So, I suppose it was better than if he had stayed on the job.”
Was Raughter suggesting the problems at the VA had been addressed in a significant way? “Not at all,” he said. “We feel there is a cultural change that needs to be made.”
So this is like the movie bomb that uses a pull quote from a review that said, “This movie is unique for being the worst thing ever made” and dubs it “Unique”.





















