WH Mouthpiece Jay Carney Cannot Answer a Simple Yes-or-No Question as to Whether Barack Obama Has Confidence in VA Sec. Shinseki in Wake of VA Scandal

VA-GATE: REALLY JAY … YES OR NO, IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!

White House press secretary Jay Carney was asked several times today by multiple reporters if President Barack Obama had confidence in embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki. It was a simple yes or no question that Carney could not and did not answer. In the video below, ABC News reporter John Karl asked Carney a very simple yes-or-no question: “Does the president have confidence in General Shinseki?” The response from Carney turned into a reading of ‘War and Peace’. Carney went on to SAY, “The president believes and is confident that Secretary Shinseki has served this nation admirably, heroically as a soldier, as a general and that he has accomplished some very important things as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I listed them, but they include extending education benefits, reducing veterans homelessness, and reducing the size of the backlog for disability claims while expanding vastly the number of veterans who can make a claim.” Um, Carney has the audacity, even after the release of the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office report that substantiated recent claims of inappropriate scheduling practices and secret waiting lists. REALLY?

How can the VA problem be a top priority of Obama and his mouthpiece cannot answer a yes or no question about confidence in the head of Veteran Affairs? It is all about politics with Obama. Note to this WH because America is and has grown weary of its games … if you can’t say you support someone … ask them to resign.

The Blaze:

“A very simple yes-or-no question: Does the president have confidence in General Shinseki?” ABC News reporter John Karl asked Carney.

Carney said Obama is confident that Shinseki has served the country well.

“The president believes and is confident that Secretary Shinseki has served this nation admirably, heroically as a soldier, as a general and that he has accomplished some very important things as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I listed them, but they include extending education benefits, reducing veterans homelessness, and reducing the size of the backlog for disability claims while expanding vastly the number of veterans who can make a claim,” Carney said.

Karl followed: “Does the president right now have confidence in Secretary Shinseki, yes or no? Very simple yes-or-no question. He told us last week he did have confidence — does he have confidence now?

Carney said, “What I would point you to is what the president said on Secretary Shinseki. I’m not going to improve upon his words on this regard. He talked about accountability. I understand the wordplay, but I think what is more important.”

Karl shot back, “It’s not wordplay. It’s a very simple question. Does he have confidence in Secretary Shinseki?”

Carney stressed that fixing the VA’s problem was the top priority.

“On the issue you’re referring to when it comes to the revelations that have come to light about Phoenix and other veterans health centers, the president was deeply troubled by what we saw in the interim report from the inspector general and he awaits the preliminary report from Secretary Shinseki on the internal audit that the secretary is conducting with the assistance of roughly 200 individuals,” Carney said.