McDonald, who has been overhauling the VA since taking the helm this summer, apologized for what he characterized as a “misstatement” and a “mistake.” McDonald explained that he was trying to connect with a homeless veteran, but said there was “no excuse” for what he said.
READ: VA secretary backs off special forces claim
“We at VA are working hard to restore trust and again I apologize to those who may have been offended by my misstatement,” McDonald said Tuesday during a televised press conference. “What I was trying to do was find a way to connect with that veteran.”
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McDonald and Coffman found common ground on that point on Tuesday as McDonald asked to move forward to continue his work at the VA.
The VA chief insisted that he had never before claimed to serve in special forces and pledged to continue his work of regaining veterans’ trust — now in both the institution and in his leadership.
“Trust is something that is aimed every single day one veteran at a time,” McDonald said. “If I can solve [one veteran’s] problem I’ve earned one bit of trust.”
