VA chief Shulkin, under fire for Europe trip, acknowledges ‘the optics of this are not good’

Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin promised House lawmakers Thursday that he will repay parts of his taxpayer-funded travel to Europe last year, a 10-day trip that included choice accommodations for a Wimbledon tennis match and several sightseeing excursions with his wife.

Shulkin, appearing shaken and remorseful, told members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs that he would “do whatever I have to do to make things right” following publication Wednesday of a damning report detailing efforts by the secretary and his staff to mislead VA’s ethics office. The report was written by Michael J. Missal, the agency’s inspector general.