Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Jackie Speier (CA-14), Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Deb Haaland (NM-01) issued the following statement calling on Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie to resign following an Office of Inspector General report entitled, “Senior VA Officials’ Response to a Veteran’s Sexual Assault Allegations.”

“The VA Inspector General report makes clear Secretary Wilkie and senior leadership, instead of facilitating a full and fair investigation, perpetrated a denigrating character assassination against a woman veteran who had taken the brave step of reporting a sexual assault at a D.C. VA Medical Center. As the VA struggles with issues of sexual and gender-based harassment, this behavior sends exactly the wrong message to veterans and survivors. In doing so, Secretary Wilkie abdicated his duty to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault. Secretary Wilkie, and his senior staff named in the report, should issue an apology and resign immediately.”

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