'GAMING THE SYSTEM': Email reveals VA push to manipulate wait time data

An email obtained by Fox News Friday revealed that an employee at a Wyoming VA hospital instructed his workers to manipulate records to make it seem like patients were being seen within the agency’s required 14-day window, which he described as “gaming the system.”  
Fox News has learned that the VA was informed of dubious scheduling practices at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center and at a community-based outpatient clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, which is part of the Wyoming center, through an internal investigation in December 2013. The problems at and the investigation into the Fort Collins clinic were reported earlier this week.
However, the VA took no formal disciplinary action and did not order an independent probe into the matter until Friday, when Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said he learned of the email. 
Now Rep. Jeff Miller, the chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is questioning why if the VA learned there were problems in December, the agency is only taking action now. He said Shinseki’s actions are “faux outrage at its finest.”
The June email signed by an employee named David Newman, a Telehealth coordinator at the Cheyenne center, describes to the workers methods they can use to manipulate records in the patient appointment system to comply with a VA policy that requires patients be seen within 14 days of their desired date of appointment.
"Yes, it is gaming the system a bit," the email reads. "But you have to know the rules of the game you are playing, and when we exceed the 14-day measure, the front office gets very upset."
Shinseki said in a statement that after he learned of the email on Friday, he ordered the employee who wrote it placed on administrative leave. He said he also ordered the VA’s independent inspector general to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“VA takes any allegations about patient care or employee misconduct very seriously.  If true, the behavior outlined in the email is unacceptable,” Shinseki said.
Miller said that the VA has known about falsified records at the Fort Collins clinic, which he notes is part of the Wyoming center, since last year.   
“And yet, until today, department officials had not taken any steps whatsoever to discipline any employees or request an independent investigation – nor did they plan to do so,” he said. “Today’s announcement from Sec. Shinseki that he has placed a Cheyenne VAMC employee on paid leave and asked the inspector general to investigate appears to be more of a knee-jerk reaction to tough media questions than anything else.”
In response to the problems in Colorado, Denver VA spokesman Daniel Warvi told the Associated Press earlier this week that employees have been retrained and weekly audits are being conducted. He said no one was disciplined because the investigation found no deliberate misconduct, calling it a “training issue.”
The falsification of records is only one of the scandals engulfing the VA. The American Legion and some in Congress have called for Shinseki's ouster following allegations of 40 patient deaths at the Phoenix VA hospital due to delays in care, and of a secret list the hospital kept of patients waiting for appointments to hide the delays.
The White House has voiced support for Shinseki and he has brushed off calls to resign.
On Thursday, the House Veterans Affairs Committee voted unanimously to subpoena all emails and other records in which Shinseki and other VA officials may have discussed destruction of what the committee called "an alternate or interim waitlist" for veterans seeking care in Phoenix.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

Monica Goes Viral: Lewinsky revives her Clinton calamity for the social media age

Monica Lewinsky begins her return to the public arena by describing one of her many humiliating moments a decade ago, saying that today it “would have gone viral on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, TMZ, Gawker. It would have become a meme of its own on Tumblr. The viralness itself would have merited mention on the Daily Beast and Huffington Post.”
None of those existed, of course, when the White House sex scandal exploded back in 1998. So now Lewinsky is seeing what it would be like to analyzed, dissected and ripped apart in the modern world of social media—by reviving and reliving the global embarrassment that will always define her.
That lead anecdote involved an HBO taping in which she was asked about being a “BJ Queen.” Lewinsky has obviously decided that in order to move past her humiliation, she first has to recycle it—and own it.
The onetime White House intern tries to meld her plight with the vast array of people who have been mocked online: “No one, it seems, can escape the unforgiving gaze of the Internet, where gossip, half-truths and lies take root and fester.” True, but in Monica’s case, most of what was said about her was true.
Now that I’ve read the entire Vanity Fair piece, I don’t quite get the conspiracy theory that the Clintons wanted this out and disposed of. First, the accused looney toon is not favorably disposed toward Hillary Clinton: “She wanted it on record that she was lashing out at her husband’s mistress…I find her impulse to blame the Woman—not only me, but herself—troubling.”
Second, Lewinsky knows that by resurfacing after a decade, she is putting the focus back on Bill Clinton’s misdeeds, and his wife calling out the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” And whatever mistakes the thong-flashing, can’t-keep-a-secret Monica made, it was her boss, the president of the United States, who engaged in a classic abuse of power and misled the country about it.
Lewinsky even takes a whack at feminists for failing to give her “girl-on-girl support,” giving her paramour a pass because Clinton was “a president ‘friendly’ to women’s causes.”
Is there a self-serving element to all this? Of course. Lewinsky, single at 40, understandably frustrated by her failure to land a good job, is trying to turn her notoriety in her favor.
Besides, she says, her attempt to lay low has failed: “Every day I am recognized. Every day.”
Still, why now? Lewinsky says that everyone else is talking about her, so why should she stay quiet? She knew her White House exploits would be debated during a Hillary campaign—indeed, Rand Paul has already pressed the issue—and decided she wanted her voice heard.
The question now is whether Vanity Fair is just phase one of her media comeback. We could soon be seeing Monica Lewinsky making the television rounds, trying to move beyond her tawdry past by talking about it again and again.
Click for more from Media Buzz. 

Harry Reid

House panel subpoenas VA Secretary Shinseki for Phoenix hospital documents

A House committee voted Thursday to subpoena Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki for emails and documents tied to an alleged secret "waiting list" for sick veterans at a Phoenix VA hospital. 
The vote on the House Veterans Affairs Committee comes as Shinseki begins to face calls -- from Congress and beyond -- for his resignation. In an interview with CBS News, Shinseki brushed aside those calls, while acknowledging that the Phoenix controversy "makes me angry." 
Shinseki has placed top Phoenix officials on leave as the department tries to get to the bottom of what happened. As many as 40 veterans allegedly may have died because of delayed treatment at that hospital. 
The communications being sought by the House committee would deal with the destruction or disappearance of the supposed secret waiting list at that facility. 
Lawmakers said that a prior response from Shinseki did not adequately answer the committee's questions. 
Meanwhile, Shinseki, a retired Army general, told CBS that he sent inspectors to Phoenix immediately when he learned of reports about the deaths. 
"I take every one of these incidents and allegations seriously, and we're going to go and investigate," he said. 
According to the VA, Shinseki has also ordered a "face-to-face audit" for all clinics at VA medical centers. 
"Secretary Shinseki has directed the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to complete a nation-wide access review.  The purpose of this review is to ensure a full understanding of VA's policy and continued integrity in managing patient access to care," the VA said in a statement. "VA takes any allegations about patient care or employee misconduct very seriously." 
Earlier in the week, the American Legion called for him to step down over this and other controversies about veterans' care. At least two Republican senators have joined that call. 
The White House has voiced support for the secretary amid the calls for his ouster. 
Fox News' Steve Centanni and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Dems weigh boycotting Benghazi probe

(Bailey) Four Americans were murdered and they're thinking about boycotting. What a bunch of idiots!
 They're thinking more about covering their asses then protecting Americans.

House Democrats argued behind closed doors Wednesday about the proposed structure of a special investigative committee on the Benghazi attacks -- with some lawmakers arguing they should boycott the investigation altogether. 
At a press conference after the meeting broke up, Democratic leaders would not say definitely what they plan to do. 
"One day at a time," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. 
Some rank-and-file members argue that by joining the select committee, they'd be improperly legitimizing what they view as a political effort. Others, though, argue that if they don't participate, they will not be able to shape the direction and narrative of the probe. Several sources told Fox News that based on Wednesday's meeting, it appears Democrats are leaning toward not participating. 
GOP leaders formally outlined the particulars of the select committee on Tuesday evening. They set the stage for a comprehensive probe that would investigate everything from U.S. response efforts to internal communications after the attack. 
"It's not going to be a sideshow, it is not going to be a circus," House Speaker John Boehner said. 
In a move that rankled Democrats, GOP leaders said it would consist of seven Republicans and five Democrats. 
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her deputy, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., objected in a letter to Boehner, calling for the panel to be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. 
They also called for Democrats to have a "real and equal voice" in issuing subpoenas, questioning witnesses and other areas. 
"In the draft resolution you provided today, you appear to have rejected these principles," they wrote. "If you truly want this new select committee to be bipartisan and fair -- and to be taken seriously by the American people -- we call on you to reconsider this approach before bringing this measure to the House floor for a vote." 
Pelosi and Hoyer did not go so far as to threaten to boycott the committee, as some rank-and-file Democrats have. 
GOP leaders say the select committee is vital, particularly in light of revelations that the Obama administration withheld relevant emails for months -- until they were released as part of a lawsuit last week. 
"I expect the members of this committee -- Republican and Democrat -- to exercise these authorities with a single-minded focus of getting the unvarnished truth about what took place leading up to, during, and following the terrorist attack on our consulate in Libya. The American people will accept no less," Boehner said in a statement. 
Republicans also defended the structure of the committee, noting that a prior select committee under the previous Democratic majority had nine Democrats and six Republicans. 
Among other priorities, the committee will seek to answer what was done in response to the Sep. 11, 2012 attack, including efforts to rescue U.S. personnel. Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, died in the assault on the U.S. compound. 
The committee will have subpoena power and may order depositions to be given under oath. 
A final report is required, though some of it may be classified. The next step will be for the House to vote on the committee, and for members to be chosen. 
Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., already has been selected to chair the committee.

Thom Tillis wins North Carolina GOP Senate primary

Thom Tillis, the North Carolina House speaker, won the state's Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, setting up a battle against Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan in the fall.
Tillis, considered the GOP establishment's candidate, topped Tea Party-aligned candidate Greg Brannon and pastor Mark Harris. Four other Republicans also sought the nomination.
Tillis had the backing of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Right to Life Committee and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. National party leaders have targeted Hagan as part of their effort to try to gain control of the Senate.
Hagan, whom Republicans have made a top target in their drive to win a Senate majority in the fall, won renomination over a pair of rivals with about 80 percent of the primary vote.
Tillis, giving his nomination victory speech, continued his criticism of Hagan, saying she's too closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and has failed to halt President  Obama's most destructive policies, chiefly the federal health care overhaul. Hagan voted for the law.
"Our republic was founded on separate but equal branches, a system with checks and balances," Tillis told cheering supporters at a Charlotte hotel. "But Kay Hagan hasn't provided any balance whatsoever when it's come to having a check on Obama. She's done nothing but abandoned her post for the last six years."
Tillis scarcely had time to savor his victory before the Democrats unloaded on him Tuesday night.
"No one in the country has done more for the Koch brothers than Thom Tillis — cutting public education nearly $500 million, cutting taxes for the wealthy while refusing pay raises for teachers and killing an equal pay bill," the party's Democratic senatorial committee said in a statement referring to the billionaire businessman brothers whom party leaders hope to make into national whipping boys in the fall campaign.
The National Rifle Association countered for Tillis, saying in a statement of its own that "Thom has long been one of most effective gun rights advocates in North Carolina."
Hagan is among the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents in a campaign season full of them, a first-term lawmaker in a state that is ground zero in a national debate over the health care law that she and the Democrats voted into existence four years ago. Americans for Prosperity, a group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, has run about $7 million worth of television commercials criticizing Hagan for her position on the law.
Hagan has portrayed herself as a middle-of-the-road U.S. senator who fights for the middle class and veterans and would prevent out-of-state conservatives from essentially buying a Senate seat with their ads criticizing her.
"This election is a simple choice between two very different records. Thom Tillis has spent his time in Raleigh pushing a special interest agenda that has rigged the system against middle-class families," Hagan said in a news release. She added: "North Carolinians know that I am the only candidate in this race who will put our state's needs ahead of what the special interests want."
Tillis and other Republicans said Hagan and a PAC backing Senate Democrats were trying to torpedo Tillis' candidacy and get a perceived weaker nominee, pointing to similar schemes in Nevada in 2010 and Missouri in 2012. Tillis has benefited from millions of dollars in advertising from outside groups critical of Hagan, particularly for her support of the federal health care overhaul law.
By receiving endorsements from National Right to Life and the National Rifle Association, Tillis was able to advertise credentials seen as favorable by potential supporters of Harris and Brannon. Harris is the former president of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention and was a chief spokesman for a group that worked successfully to get the 2012 constitutional amendment passed banning gay marriage. But even Tillis had a role in the amendment, leading the House when it agreed to put the amendment on the statewide ballot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Obama administration withholding full contents of emails over Fox News Benghazi report

The Obama administration is withholding the full contents of a "media strategy" discussion over a Fox News report on Benghazi, claiming that releasing them would have a chilling effect on their "frank deliberations."
The seven-page email chain was in reference to a Fox News report on Sept. 27, 2012, that the intelligence community knew within 24 hours that Benghazi was a terrorist attack.
The emails, with the subject line "Fox News: US officials knew Libya attack was terrorism within 24 hours, sources confirm,” was circulated at senior levels of the administration. Denis McDonough, the president's deputy national security adviser during Benghazi; John Brennan, the former White House counterterrorism adviser; and presidential communications adviser Ben Rhodes, whose Sept.14 email linked the anti-Islam video to Benghazi, were all part of the discussion.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EMAILS
"A seven-page dialogue concerning one Fox News report to me demonstrates an alarm bell situation where they are reacting to and trying to shape a response," senior Judicial Watch investigator Chris Farrell told Fox News. “There was a contrarian news report that didn't align with their position and they were clearly reacting to it in a way that would help reinforce their position."
While originally designated "SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED," Justice Department lawyers told a federal court May 1 that the State Department rightfully withheld "...comments, opinions and assessments related to the formulation of a media strategy with respect to an ongoing sensitive matter....The release of this information could reasonably be expected to chill the frank deliberations that occur when State Department and other U.S. government officials are formulating public responses to address sensitive issues."
Two days after the emails, a spokesman for the nation's intelligence chief, the director of national intelligence, released a lengthy statement explaining the evolution in the intelligence community’s thinking from the assault being a spontaneous attack to it being pre-meditated terrorism.
The statement does not mention a video originally cited by then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as being behind the attack. It also does not, on its face, constitute the "media strategy" that was the subject of the seven-page email chain.
An DNI spokesman told Fox he could not comment on what may or may not be in the redacted emails. 
When previously asked about the Sept. 28, 2012 release, the DNI spokesman said the suggestion to “develop the statement came from within the intelligence community.”
Catherine Herridge is an award-winning Chief Intelligence correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) based in Washington, D.C. She covers intelligence, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Herridge joined FNC in 1996 as a London-based correspondent.