Posted on 05/28/2014 5:12:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The House's No. 2 Democrat accused Republicans of exploiting the scandal that has enveloped the Veterans Affairs Department for political gain and said he is worried that civil servants could be swept up unfairly in a witch hunt.
"I don't think there's any doubt about it … that is essentially the tactic that Republicans are trying to employ," Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters Wednesday.
"In some cases there are huge fishing expeditions which are going on for millions of documents that goes beyond the realm of oversight and politicizes the issue very greatly."
The Republican National Committee on Wednesday started a Twitter and robocall campaign to demand action on the VA scandal, blaming President Obama and compliant Democrats for ignoring warning signs that led to the mistreatment of veterans across the nation.
The VA inspector general's office has reported that 26 VA facilities are being investigated nationwide, including a Phoenix hospital where 40 veterans allegedly died while waiting for treatment as staff there kept a secret list of patients waiting for appointments to hide delays in care.
Hoyer said that while any wrong-doers within the VA must be held accountable, it's imperative that accused employees be given due process and that innocent federal workers aren't needlessly punished as a knee-jerk reaction.
"I don't think that serving veterans is antithetical to making sure that employees of the federal government have the civil service protections that were adopted as long ago as the Pendleton [Civil Service Reform] Act in the 19th Century," said Hoyer, whose district includes a large number of federal workers.
"Our civil service system is designed not to be a system where people serve at the will of those who win elections. It's a professional civil service [that is] protected."
Still, the Maryland Democrat called the alleged mistreatment of veterans "outrageous" and vowed to hold those accountable.
"Congress could, I think, take some constructive action and oversight to ensure that in fact not only the VA system but the government generally operates in an efficient and effective manner, and that its employees are accountable and responsible," he said.
"We need to address this decisively, quickly and hold accountable the people who did that, but, much more importantly … correct the system."
Hoyer said he spoke last week with embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to urge him to respond the scandal "very vigorously, to express his anger and disappointment, and resolve to get to the bottom of this."
I’m surprised Hoyer didn’t claim it was racism.
As partisan Dems go, Steny Hoyer is the worst of the worst.
The rhetoric is ratcheting up to pre-Civil War levels, and quickly.
He needs to get swept up in a witch hunt. I’ll bet he doesn’t float.
Shut The F Up Hoyer...
Steny Hoyer: “Leave no bureaucrat behind!”
I remember the endless stories on the conditions at Walter Reid. The outraged Democrats. I don’t know if this is a case of Hoyer not being able to smell his own farts or if he has succumbed to dementia and honestly doesn’t remember his party’s reaction. It certainly isn’t something new to D.C that one party tries to capitalize on the others failures. Steny has been there long enough this can’t be the first time he’s seen this happen. Your faux outrage is proof of your lying ways Mr Hoyer.
What the hell is a “steny”?
Steny: def; a narsassistic hedonist devoid of thought or compassion,
alt def ; what have you done for me today?
Just laugh at folks on the left (like Biden does to those he can't argue with) and tell the camera that when Dems carp about "witch hunts", what they really fear is that they are "which hunts" where we try to find out which people are culpable for crimes committed.
I believe that was back when Hoyer was a freshman and John Dingell was getting his 30-year pin.
Maryland "Freak State" PING!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.