(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs slammed a Democrat governor who sent out a mass email falsely claiming that veterans could be denied care based on how they voted even after the initial report had been changed and both the VA and the White House said it was false.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has an eye on national politics, said he told state agencies to “take every available action to protect veterans’ access to care” after “reports that the Trump administration is proposing rules that would allow VA providers to deny military veterans healthcare based on their marital status and political affiliation.”
VA officials said those reports were incorrect. Three days before Pritzker ordered state officials to take action, VA Secretary Doug Collins had publicly said the report was wrong.
“This is completely and totally false,” a VA spokesperson said. “Gov. Pritzker is clearly consuming too much disinformation and needs to go on a news diet.”
Collins responded with a video message on Friday after The Guardian, a British news outlet, first reported the VA changes on Monday. Collins said earlier this week that “The Guardian is now conducting an internal investigation into its fabricated VA story – a piece so recklessly false and unbelievable that even the reporter who wrote it can’t defend it.”
Guardian reporter Aaron Glantz, who wrote the article, said the story was “based on internal documents which reveal the VA has rewritten its medical staff bylaws by removing language that explicitly prohibited doctors from discriminating against patients based on their political beliefs or marital status.” He added: “We have added additional context provided by the VA after publication.” The headline to the Guardian article was changed after publication. Even so, the news spread fast, despite denials from both the VA and the White House.
Collins said in a video posted Friday that the Guardian report was “recklessly and maliciously false.”
“It claimed recent changes to the Veterans Health Administration bylaws would allow VA to discriminate against Veterans and facility staff based on political affiliation or marital status,” the secretary said. “Let me be clear: VA does not tolerate discrimination on any grounds, including political affiliation of marital status.”
Pritzker blamed President Donald Trump for the VA changes and said he would protect veterans.
“Our nation’s heroes put their lives on the line to protect our way of life, and we owe them every bit of care and support we can offer,” Pritzker said Friday. “The Trump administration wants to deny our veterans healthcare because of who they love or vote for – and the State of Illinois will do everything in our power to protect the benefits they have earned.”
The VA said Pritzker’s actions and decision to spread false reports should be denounced.
“Pritzker’s irresponsible statements are driving Veterans away from seeking potentially life-saving VA care,” a spokesperson said. “His actions deserve across-the-board condemnation.”
The Center Square reached out to Pritzker’s office for a response Friday afternoon.