Robert Wilkie is a white nationalist extremist appointed by President Trump as Secretary of Veteran Affairs. A long-time member of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, he said abolitionists were radical, dishonest, and enemies of liberty. When he was in the Bush Administration, he participated in a Confederate Memorial wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington, saluting the Confederate flag. When he was appointed by Trump, he said that was all behind him, though he lied about his membership in the SCV. However, he earned his place on the list with his unprofessional efforts to discredit a woman who reported being sexually harassed and assaulted at the Washington, D.C. VA hospital.
In her first-person account, Andrea Goldstein detailed what happened to her after she was assaulted. She reported the incident and nothing happened. Her doctor then reported the incident, an investigation was opened, and quickly closed, written off as unprovable. Then Robert Wilkie wrote her boss complaining about her allegation and “unsubstantiated claims.” However, the investigators never said her allegations were unsubstantiated, but that it was impossible to prove as there were no other witnesses.
For some reason, Wilkie and others, along with Rep. Dan Crenshaw began a vile campaign attacking and seeking to discredit Goldstein. The letter he wrote Goldstein’s boss was shared with nine media outlets. The Inspector General responded that he had specifically told Wilkie that no characterization of the investigation should be made.
![Neither I nor my staff told you or anyone else at the Department that the
allegations were unsubstantiated. Indeed, in my conversations with [the deputy
secretary and chief of staff] on January 14, I specifically told them that the
investigation had been closed without charges and that no other characterization
could or should be made . . . . Reaching a decision to close the investigation with
no criminal charges does not mean the underlying allegation is unsubstantiated.6](https://goppredator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/image-24-1.png?w=993)
One person claimed to have been fired by refusing to participate in the smear campaign. The Inspector General conducted an investigation into Wilkie’s actions and determined that he acted unprofessionally. While they thought he may have acted criminally and perjured himself, the IG did not make a criminal referral leading Wilkie to falsely claim he was vindicated. The report condemned him for his behavior.
- Jezebel: ‘He Was Implying I Was a Liar’: What Happened After I Was Sexually Assaulted at the VA
- ProPublica: VA Secretary Focused on Smearing Woman Who Said She Was Sexually Assaulted in a VA Hospital, Probe Finds
- VAOIG: Senior VA Officials’ Response to a Veteran’s Sexual Assault Allegations
- New York Times: No Charges in Assault Complaint at V.A. Hospital and a Public Fight Erupts
- VOX: Trump’s pick to run the VA was an outspoken supporter of Confederate memorials
The Daily News Leader
Staunton, Virginia · Monday, December 14, 2020