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President Obama and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
By Adam Wollner,
Andrea Drusch and Jack
Fitzpatrick
May 22, 2014
The Veterans Affairs scandal isn't bad just for President Obama. Witness the growing chorus of Democratic congressional
candidates desperate to get some distance from the administration.
This week, would-be Democratic officeholders from moderate- and conservative-leaning districts started to call on Obama to fire
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki after accusations that the department covered up long waits that led to the deaths of former service
members.
"Those responsible must be held accountable, including Secretary Shinseki," said Aimee Belgard, the Democrat running for the
swing-district seat held by retiring Republican Rep. Jon Runyan of New Jersey.
"Unfortunately, this administration has fallen short in providing the kind of care that our veterans have earned," said Democratic
Rep. John Barrow, whose conservative Georgia district has an above-average number of veterans and is a perennial GOP
target.
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