The Washington Free Beacon's Ellison Barber discussed an upcoming hearing for Department of Veterans Affairs whistleblowers on Fox News's Happening Now, saying that no one on either side of the aisle trusts the VA at this point in the investigation, after reports of the VA intimidating witnesses and stonewalling investigators.
The VA reportedly sent an email warning employees not to communicate with delegation members investigating the department. They later rescinded the email, saying it was "poorly worded", and sent out another email advising caution in disclosing information since they were undergoing an audit.
"When I asked the Republican staffers about this they sort of laughed about that defense, saying they didn't really buy it," Barber said. "And they felt that the second follow-up email was essentially a more politically correct and safer way to make the exact same argument that they were saying in the first email, which is, 'hey, let's not talk to delegation.'"
"I don't think anyone really looks at the VA's actions and is willing to give them that initial benefit of the doubt, to say 'maybe they were just trying to be cautious'," she observed.
Barber also discussed the New York Times exposé on witness intimidation at the VA, saying her sources tell her it will be a key part of testimony at the hearing tonight.