Wichita Standard

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Joe Manchin have demanded answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding its handling of an employee who allegedly broadcasted antisemitic material on social media. The senators, both members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, expressed their concerns about the disciplinary actions taken by the VA.

According to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the employee's supervisor counseled them and they completed required harassment prevention and accountability training. However, Sens. Moran and Manchin believe that counseling is not a sufficient punishment for the propagation of antisemitic material. They wrote in a letter, "We expect mass propagation of antisemitic material by a department attorney to be met with far stronger disciplinary action than counseling."

In their letter, the senators also referenced the Restore VA Accountability Act, which aims to provide expedited disciplinary authority and ensure that VA decisions are upheld on appeal. The legislation seeks to hold bad employees accountable and create a healthier workplace for VA employees, ultimately increasing veterans' trust in the VA.

The senators called upon the VA to provide information regarding the investigation and disciplinary choice for the employee in question. They emphasized that harassment of any kind cannot be tolerated and questioned the justification for the lack of disciplinary action. They requested the Department to identify the court rulings that restrict disciplinary actions in this instance and offered their support for legislation to address this issue.

They also requested documents and information related to the incident, including the results of any investigations conducted, a summary of corrective actions taken, details of the employee's counseling and training, prior court rulings that the VA believes limit disciplinary actions, and a briefing to review the contents of the documents.

In their letter, the senators expressed their commitment to safeguarding the information provided, ensuring that it does not impact any ongoing or future disciplinary actions or investigations.

The VA has yet to respond to the senators' letter, but the senators expect a prompt response and explanation. They believe that the acceptance of this misconduct reflects poorly on the honesty and integrity of the department as a whole.