Trump’s unofficial advisors on VA had significant access, influence over policy: report – By Leo Shane III (The Federal Times) / Sept 27 2021
A trio of executives with personal ties to President Donald Trump wielded even more influence over Veterans Affairs policies while he was in office than previously thought, running afoul of federal transparency and lobbying laws, according to a new report released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday.
The result of the Democrat-controlled panel’s months-long investigation found that the arrangement “violated the law and sought to exert improper influence over government officials to further their own personal interests.”
That included communications with Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, using personal email accounts to evade public disclosures of the discussions into department reforms and decisions about upgrading VA’s electronic medical records system.
The three men at the center of the controversy — Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, primary care specialist Dr. Bruce Moskowitz, and attorney Marc Sherman — were all members of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 2017 when Trump tapped them to be unofficial advisors to his administration on VA issues.
