Trump won votes promising to protect veterans, but major veterans groups are rattled by his plans

[pinboy3niner]

By Evan Halper (Los Angeles Times)
December 22, 2016, 3:25 PM |Reporting from Washington

...

Under pressure from conservative activists, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and organizations funded by the Koch Brothers, Trump is contemplating choosing an agency chief who would upend the entire veterans healthcare system. That would come over the protest of the country’s major veterans groups.

...

Sarah Palin’s name has been raised. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown has openly sought the job. Some in the transition team have touted Toby Cosgrove, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic and a cardiac surgeon who served in Vietnam. Obama considered him for the job several years ago.

Most alarming to some of the country’s main veterans groups is Peter Hegseth, the former executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, one of a network of nonprofit groups bankrolled by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. The 36-year-old Hegseth, a Fox News contributor, has met with Trump more than once.

...

Rieckhoff’s group and other major organizations have urgently requested to meet with Trump. They have not been able to get a commitment. The transition team instead sent a delegation to talk with them which included Omarosa Manigault, a star of Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

“It is actually insulting,” said Rieckhoff. “The highest-ranking person the leading veterans services organizations have met with is Omarosa.”

...

Gingrich is offering his own advice, lobbying Trump to pay no mind to the veterans groups. ....

...

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-veterans-20161222-story.html

[Achilleaze]

1. They let themselves get suckered by a Republican chickenhawk with five military deferments

Hello! The Republican chickenhawks are not - and never have been - friends to America's veterans.

Wake up and smell the republican chickenhawkery.

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. stop me before I start ranting

So, let's see..so far the buyer's remorse has extended to...

people not believing he'd take away Obamacare
people believing he'd build the wall
people believing he'd drain the swamp
people believing he'd throw Hillary in jail

and now he's screwing the veterans.

When will people learn? I really tear my hair out daily over this. The Republicans have not been "for the people" for 50 years or more. Yet morons keep voting them in because .... because....

[ymetca]

3. Yes, "rebuilding the military"

is but code for "letting private contractors stick their snouts deeper into the public cash trough while throwing our veterans under the bus".

[onecaliberal]

4. What in the complete hell did his supporters think they were voting for?

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. Too make other people's lives worse...

[onecaliberal]

10. Well I guess they were to clever by half....

[Kittycow]

5. Guess they'll go down with the ship with the rest of us.

However since it's such monumental issue, maybe it won't be brushed under the (big orange ) rug?

[Angry Dragon]

6. Newt is a has been, adulterer and convicted on ethic charges

just the man Trump should listen to

[Squinch]

7. Kick. All the republicans I know are just SURE they are doing right by vets with their vote.

In spite of all the evidence for years and years and years.

[DashOneBravo]

8. Maybe Mr Cosgrove

I'd vote for pinboy39!

[pinboy3niner]

11. Cosgrove has withdrawn his name from consideration

And for some mysterious reason, my name hasn't come up. You can't explain that!

According to CNN, while Cosgrove was interested in the position, and was one of the top contenders for the job, he decided he should stay at the clinic because he wanted to "see several high-profile projects complete."

Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove withdraws from consideration for Trump's VA secretary position
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/national/cleveland-clinic-ceo-toby-cosgrove-withdraws-from-consideration-for-trumps-va-secretary-position

[DashOneBravo]

12. I am sure they

Are getting the Trump jet all squared away for you to fly in.