No way I quit, I’m a fighter – ex-VA boss

FIRED VETERANS Affairs Secretary David Shulkin called out the White House on Sunday for saying he resigned.

“I came to fight for our veterans and I had no intention of giving up,” Shulkin said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “There would be no reason for me to resign. I made a commitment, I took an oath, and I was here to fight for our veterans.”

By various accounts, the last Obama administration holdover was canned Wednesday amid bubbling tensions within the VA. Even President Trump said he got rid of Shulkin.

Then, White House spokeswoman Lindsey Walters told Politico in a story published Saturday that Shulkin “resigned.”

That response came after the website started asking questions.

How Shulkin left the VA could affect who can run the agency in the interim — the deputy if the secretary is fired or an official appointed by the President if the secretary resigns.

The Defense Department’s Robert Wilkie was named over Shulkin’s deputy, Thomas Bowman, to head the VA while the President’s pick as the next secretary, White House physician Ronny Jackson, awaits Senate confirmation.

Shulkin on Sunday elaborated on his earlier account that he spoke to Trump about veterans policies just hours before White House chief of staff John Kelly called to fire him.

“We talked a lot about issues the VA that were important and how we could continue to make progress on policy issues,” Shulkin said of his chat with the President. “In fact, we had set up a meeting for the very next day.”