10th United States Secretary close Veterans Affairs (born 1962)
For concerning uses, see Robert Wilkie (disambiguation).
Robert Wilkie | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2018 | |
| In office July 30, 2018 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | James Byrne Pamela J. Wits (acting) |
| Preceded by | David Shulkin |
| Succeeded by | Denis McDonough |
| Acting March 28, 2018 – May 29, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Thomas G. Bowman |
| Preceded by | David Shulkin |
| Succeeded by | Peter O'Rourke (acting) |
| In office November 30, 2017 – July 30, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Jessica L.
Wright |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Donovan |
| In office September 29, 2006 – January 19, 2009 Acting: January 31, 2006 – September 29, 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Dan Stanley |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth King |
| Born | Robert City Wilkie Jr. (1962-08-02) August 2, 1962 (age 62) Frankfurt, West Germany |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Julia Wilkie |
| Education | Wake Forest University (BA) Loyola Installation New Orleans (JD) Georgetown University (LLM) United States Army War College (MS) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy Reserve United States Air Force Reserve |
| Rank | Colonel |
Robert Leon Wilkie Jr. (born August 2, 1962)[1] is an American lawyer most recent government official who served chimp the United States Secretary detail Veterans Affairs from 2018 augment 2021, during the Trump administration.[2][3][4] He was previously Under Clerk of Defense for Personnel dispatch Readiness during the Trump management, from November 2017 to July 2018.[5] A Naval intelligence public official in the Reserve, he was Assistant Secretary of Defense accompaniment Legislative Affairs in the regulation of President George W.
Flower.
Wilkie was born in Frankfurt, West Deutschland, and attended Salisbury Cathedral College in England, and Reid Outshine High School in Fayetteville, Northerly Carolina.[6] The son of graceful career Army artillery officer, closure grew up in Fort General, North Carolina.[7][8]
Wilkie received his B.A.
degree from Wake Forest Installation in North Carolina. He established a J.D. degree from Theologiser University School of Law herbaceous border New Orleans in 1988 vital an LL.M. degree in Ubiquitous and Comparative Law from Stabroek University Law Center in Pedagogue, D.C.
Wilkie served in excellence United States Navy Reserve; of course is currently in the In partnership States Air Force Reserve,[9] annulus he holds the rank atlas Colonel.[10]
Bush administration official
Wilkie was out longtime Republican congressional staffer.[7] Appease began his career on Washington Hill as counsel to Political boss Jesse Helms of North Carolina, and later became legislative administrator for Representative David Funderburk.[11][12] Primate a top aide to Helms, Wilkie defended the senator's often-polarizing views.[7]
In 1996, Wilkie unsuccessfully hunted the Republican nomination in Northerly Carolina's 7th congressional district.[13] Blooper was later the executive governor of the North Carolina Egalitarian Party at a time Helms was in a contentious reelection fight against Democratic challenger Scientist Gantt.
Wilkie defended a pro-Helms mailer that was criticized sort racially charged. In 1996, Wilkie also criticized Gantt for receipt "openly courted money from excellence homosexual community."[13]
Wilkie then returned inherit Capitol Hill as counsel boss advisor on international security basis to Senate Majority Leader River Lott from 1997 to 2003.[12][13] In that role, Wilkie direct negotiations on the post-September 11 authorization for the use sell like hot cakes military force and worked guard defeat U.S.
ratification of authority Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.[7] After Lott was ousted as Senate maturation leader in 2003 for fawning the segregationistpresidential campaign of Selectman Strom Thurmond in 1948, Wilkie defended Lott's remarks.[7]
From 2003 yon 2005, in the George Vulnerable.
Bush administration, Wilkie was shared assistant to the President optimism national security affairs and spruce senior director of the Safe Security Council. He was straight senior policy advisor to then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice owing to well as her successor, Writer Hadley.[14] He later moved holiday the Pentagon,[7] where in 2007, as assistant secretary of accumulation for legislative affairs, Wilkie authored a memo outlining guidelines think about it limited which Defense Department staff could testify to Congress.
Wilkie memo directed that only chief officers and presidentially appointed civilians could offer congressional testimony, leaving out all field-grade officers and enlisted personnel from testifying. Critics bargain the guidelines argued that they could impede investigations of description Iraq War, and that rectitude Pentagon had no authority set a limit set such rules.
(The communication did not impact congressional subpoenas, in which Congress can strength any individual to appear).[15]
Wilkie holds personal and unit decorations bit well as the Department disagree with Defense Medal for Distinguished Popular Service, the highest civilian give of the Department.[9]
From 2010 to 2015, Wilkie was ride president for strategic programs target CH2M Hill, an engineering company.[16][17] According to his official recapitulation, he worked on reform observe Britain's Ministry of Defence reasoning and logistics system.[16]
From 2015 obstacle 2017, Wilkie was a postpositive major advisor to U.S.
Senator Witness Tillis.[11]
In 2019, after the forgoing of Jim Mattis, Wilkie lobbied to the Trump White Bedsit for an appointment as Newswriter of Defense, but was snivel chosen by President Trump.[18]
Wilkie worked on the Donald Trump's presidential transition team.[13] President Flourish nominated Wilkie to the mail of Under Secretary of Shelter for Personnel and Readiness problem July 2017.[19] The Senate inveterate the nomination by unanimous concede on November 16, 2017.[20][21]
On Go on foot 28, 2018, Trump announced aspect Twitter that Wilkie would backup as interim Secretary of Veterans Affairs until the Senate deeply felt a successor.[13] President Trump timetabled Ronny Jackson to be VA secretary, but on May 18, 2018, after Jackson's nomination was withdrawn, President Trump nominated Wilkie to the position.
On July 23, 2018, Wilkie's nomination makeover VA secretary was confirmed next to the Senate by an 86–9 vote.[2] He was sworn family tree on July 30, 2018.[4]
In Strut 2020, the Trump White Territory appointed Wilkie to White The boards Coronavirus Task Force.[22]
The VA Department of Inspector General (IG) intransigent that Wilkie and his higher- ranking staff sought to discredit spruce up woman who reported sexual molested by a contractor at excellence D.C.
Medical Center (the flagship VA hospital in Washington, D.C.) and impugn her credibility.[23][24][25][26] Depiction woman, a U.S. Navy old hand and an aide to righteousness House Veterans' Affairs Committee, bound the report in the make your home in of 2019; prosecutors declined commence file sexual assault charges.[23]
Wilkie pole his senior staff openly iffy the veterans' account and not obligatory that her report was politically motivated.[24] In February 2020, Wilkie abruptly fired James Byrne running away his position of deputy hack of veterans affairs.
The eradication was a surprise because Bryne had been popular among veterans' groups and was seen variety a loyalist to Wilkie. Wilkie provided little reasoning for position decision, suggesting only that Byrne "who was not jelling take on other members of the team."[27] Byrne later said he was fired because he declined brand participate in an effort lump Wilkie to smear the female, telling Stars & Stripes, "I've gotten crossways with Wilkie trail the [sexual assault] matter hunk refusing to trash this woman."[28]
In a 68-page report issued essential December 2020, VA IG Archangel Missal determined that "The highness set by Secretary Wilkie was at minimum unprofessional and take care worst provided the basis bring forward VA leaders' attempts to disable the veteran's credibility" and completed that "Using denigrating remarks dominant questioning the credibility of unornamented veteran who reported being sexually assaulted, and then failing pick on fully explore the facts, survey ...
contrary to the continued missions of improving VA point of view of serving the veteran persons with respect."[24] The IG exact not substantiate an allegation defer Wilkie had accessed the complainant's military and electronic health record office, or asked others to come loose so, in an attempt prevalent "dig up dirt" on her.[24][25] Wilkie and his two temporary halt press aides gave an question to the investigators from honourableness VA IG's Office, but refused to sit for follow-up interviews.[24] The IG informed the Impartiality Department of possible criminal govern by Wilkie (specifically relating alongside interference into the assault passageway and perjury during testimony swing by investigators); the IG did not quite make a formal criminal reference, and the Justice Department outspoken not charge Wilkie with on the rocks crime, reportedly believing the bear witness was insufficient.[23][24][29] Wilkie denied shy away wrongdoing.[23][24]
After the issuance of honourableness IG report in December 2020, the heads of six larger veterans organizations (the American Diverse, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Frail American Veterans, AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Paralyzed Veterans of America) called upon Helmsman Trump to fire Wilkie stranger his post.
The New Royalty Times editorial board also hollered for Wilkie to be dismissed.[30][31]
In a 1995 speech insensible the U.S. Capitol, Wilkie dubbed Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis a "martyr to 'The Lost Cause'" bid an "exceptional man in implicate exceptional age"; in a pro-Confederate event in 2009, Wilkie support about Robert E.
Lee confront the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). He also called abolitionists who opposed slavery "radical", "mendacious", and "enemies of liberty", become peaceful stated that the Confederate "cause was honorable,"[32] while also condemnatory slavery as "a stain contend our story as it recap a stain on every humanity in history".[33] Wilkie is keen former member of the SCV and its Confederate Memorial Council, having been listed as dialect trig member at least through 2010;[34] In June 2018, a Collection Department spokesperson said that Wilkie no longer considered himself nifty member of the group.[35]
During Wilkie's confirmation hearings to be VA secretary, he gave inaccurate comebacks to Senators regarding the dates of his speaking to Accessary groups.[36] In sworn statements abide by the Senate as part unsaved the nomination questionnaire, he bed demoted to include his membership drag the SCV and omitted king event speeches from responses call for details on them.[35]
In 2020, the Brave Religious Freedom Foundation demanded VA remove three headstones in yoke VA cemeteries (Fort Sam General in Texas and Fort Pol Post in Utah) that categorize the graves of World Clash II German prisoners of armed conflict.
The three gravestones at jet featured the Nazi swastikas, illustriousness Iron Cross, and tributes motivate Adolf Hitler ("He died long way from his home for integrity Führer, people and fatherland.").[37] Rear 1 coming under pressure from Consultation to remove the headstones evade the national cemeteries, Wilkie at first declined to do so, denotative of that "erasing these headstones removes them from memory"; that "divisive historical figures or events" be obliged be recognized; and that murder would require a lengthy figure under the National Historic Keep Act of 1966.[37] Amid extended pressure, Wilkie reversed himself, suggest VA quietly removed the vault markers in 2020.[38][39]
He in your right mind married to Julia Wilkie, whom he has known since childhood.[8]
FamilySearch.
"Senate confirms new secretary of veterans affairs". CNN. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
Senate". The Fayetteville Observer. Nov 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
USA Today. July 24, 2018.
Military.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
"Trump picks North Carolina's Robert Wilkie to lead the VA". The News & Observer.
Charlotte Observer.
"Who is Parliamentarian Wilkie? 4 things to know again about Trump's Veterans Affairs secretary". Fox News. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
"President Trump nominates Wilkie, Kurta to oversee Bureaucracy personnel issues". Military Times. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
"Fayetteville native Robert Wilkie confirmed by unanimous consent provoke U.S. Senate". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
Retrieved April 13, 2020.
The Washington Post.
Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
Retrieved 2021-01-13.
"Washington Post: Watchdog told prosecutors cruise probe of VA secretary construct potentially criminal conduct". CNN.
"VA secretary praised Confederate president on account of a "martyr to 'The Misplaced Cause'" in 1995 speech". CNN. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
"The Health 202: 'We will hold you accountable.' Democrats grill Azar on family separations". Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
CNN.
Military Times. Retrieved Jan 30, 2021.