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VA secretary apologizes for misstating military record (w/video)

 
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs budget. [Associated Press]
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs budget. [Associated Press]
Published Feb. 25, 2015

WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald apologized publicly on Tuesday for falsely claiming last month that he had served in the Special Forces, saying he had no excuse for the misstatement and pledging that "I will do better" to avoid such mistakes in the future.

In a news conference, McDonald, a former corporate executive chosen by President Barack Obama last year to right the scandal-plagued department, brushed aside any suggestion that he would resign, and said his focus was to connect with veterans and to ensure they received care and benefits.

"I made a mistake, and I apologize for it," he said during a brief question-and-answer session with reporters outside the department, which issued a statement Monday that he had apologized.

The administration said that it was appropriate for McDonald to apologize but signaled that Obama was standing behind him. "There is no reason to think that the mistake that he made should interfere with his ability to continue to lead the fight for our veterans," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Lawmakers in both parties and veterans groups said they accepted McDonald's explanation. Still, the episode threatened to hamper his task of rebuilding trust in the beleaguered agency.

McDonald, a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, served in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, where he completed jungle, arctic, desert warfare and Ranger training, according to his official biography.

But in a conversation in Los Angeles last month with a homeless veteran that CBS News captured on camera, he said he, like the man he was speaking with, had served in the elite, highly trained Special Forces.