Philadelphia VA tried to bug congressional investigators

During a congressional hearing into alleged intimidation of whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, it was revealed that members of the Philadelphia regional office tried to record committee investigators with microphones and cameras earlier in the month.

In the July 2 incident, committee aides met with officials at the office, where they were directed to a workspace equipped with cameras and microphones, ABC News reported.

Once investigators realized they were being taped, they requested to be moved to a new room.

“It has been made clear that there is not a corner that [Veterans Benefits Administration] leadership will not cut, nor a statistic that they will not manipulate to lay claim to a hollow victory,” House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, Florida Republican, said Monday, ABC reported.

Allison Hickey, VA undersecretary for benefits apologized to the committee for the July 2 incident.

“I offer my sincere apologies to your staff and my commitment that it will not happen again. You’ll receive anything you need,” Ms. Hickey said, ABC News reported.

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