Top Trump-appointee at Veterans Affairs spread conspiracy theories, made anti-Muslim comments

[DonViejo]

Source: CNN



By Andrew Kaczynski, CNN

Updated 4:54 PM ET, Tue July 24, 2018

(CNN)A senior Trump administration appointee at the Department of Veterans Affairs spread birther conspiracy theories about then-President Barack Obama and made anti-Muslim comments on social media while working for the Trump campaign in Arizona.

Thayer Verschoor, the VA's executive director of intergovernmental affairs, is a former Arizona state Senate majority leader and longtime ally of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a well-known birther who is currently running in the Republican primary for US Senate in Arizona.

Shortly after joining the Trump campaign in 2016, Verschoor shared a Facebook post that praised then-candidate Trump for thinking "Obama's birth certificate is a fraud" and understanding there's a Muslim "problem" in the US.

Verschoor originally served as a special assistant at the Department of Agricultural but transferred to the VA in 2017, a change that brought a significant promotion and pay raise to a pay grade reserved for senior level appointees. The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs serves as the VA's "liaison in all intergovernmental affairs matters and is the primary point of contact with federal, state, local, American Indian, and Native Alaskan Government officials," according to their website.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/kfile-trump-appointee-va/index.html

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Of course he did. That's a requirement for any appointment to a Trump admin job.

[Laurian]

2. Longtime ally of Arpiao....that's all you need to know.

These people are like cockroaches. They keep crawling back.

[Ohiogal]

3. "I know the BEST people!"

What a sick joke .....

[Mr.Bill]

4. Approved by an 86-9 vote.

Anybody see what's wrong with this? So far I can't find a roll call list of who voted for him.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I don't think he was in a position that required Senate confirmation

I.e., I know that an "86 - 9" vote was for Robert Wilkie to head up the VA, but Verschoor apparently came in as a GS-14 "beachhead" appointee (non-SES) to USDA and was later transferred to the VA for his current position.

There ARE a number of appointee positions that are actually done by the department and agency heads and those don't require confirmation - i.e., Schedule C appointees, and I think he is one of those.

[Mr.Bill]

6. Thanks for the info.

But no Democrat should have voted for a birther under any circumstances.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. I had to go look him up

and since he apparently slid in as a departmental appointee, there would have been no confirmation. I expect had he been up for any confirmation, the birther stuff probably would have come out then.

[ck4829]

8. Muslim problem... He's right, Muslims are the ones shooting up schools, churches, movie theaters,

music festivals, Waffle Houses, etc.

Oh wait...