VA Secretary accuses reporter for spreading 'rumors' about DOGE that hurt veterans in tense clash
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'That scares my veterans. That scares my employees. Because it's not true,' Secretary Doug Collins told the reporter

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins accused a reporter of spreading "rumors" and "innuendo" about the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) actions at the agency in an interview that went viral on .

In a clip posted to his X account on Tuesday, Collins confronted Military.com reporter Patricia Kime about her February 5 article entitled, "Elon Musk Aide Is Now Working at VA and Accessing Its Computer Systems."

Collins pulled out a printed copy of the report and accused Kime of trying to "scare" veterans by citing unconfirmed rumors about DOGE's actions at the department.

"All I seem to be doing lately is fighting back against innuendo and rumor stories… In fact, Patricia, part of it is with you," he said, handing the paper to Kime.

"I just need your help because when you start headlines with ‘There’s a rumor going around’ and that ‘we’ve heard that,’ that hurts , that scares my veterans. That scares my employees. Because it's not true," Collins said.

"Will you commit to not doing that in the future?" he pressed the reporter.

Collins went on to tell Kime she should have asked a DOGE liaison about these rumors, to which she said she did.



The Military.com report cited "rumors" about DOGE employees visiting the VA that week "with an intent to mine data on disability compensation and benefits."



Elon Musk, the chair of DOGE, has committed to slash waste in the federal government.



Collins criticized Kime for citing unsubstantiated claims from the start, telling her these claims about DOGE were either "true or false."

He proceeded to scold the reporter for citing a press release from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in which the senator claimed DOGE "may have barged into the VA" that day.

That's "unconfirmed hearsay," Collins said, and told Kime she should have called it an "unconfirmed report."

So, Patricia, I want to work together with you, but I need you to commit to me that you’re not gonna do this, he said.

That's fair. I'm working on it, Kime responded before attempting to ask Collins a follow-up question, but he continued to press her to answer his question.

"No, I want to hear the answer first. Are you committing not to do rumors? Because you’re scaring my VA employees about this and you’re scaring my veterans," he said.



A military veteran salutes during a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial, on Sept. 10, 2023, at Heckscher Park, in Huntington, New York.
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