The networks have not shown a great interest in holding the Obama administration accountable for the Veterans Affairs scandal, but will they notice a gaffe by VA Secretary Robert McDonald? According to the Washington Examiner, on Monday he compared long wait times for veterans to those at Disneyland rides.
The Examiner quoted McDonald at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters: “When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important? What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?”
Examiner reporter Sarah Westwood wrote:
McDonald's comments angered House Speaker Paul Ryan, who tweeted out Monday afternoon, "This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines."
McDonald faced questions at the breakfast about the VA's lack of transparency surrounding how long veterans must wait to receive care at VA facilities around the country. The agency has weathered controversy over the past several years due to its struggle to provide timely care for many patients.
A 2014 Media Research Center study found 72 minutes of coverage over the scandal, but just five seconds of criticism directed towards Obama on the controversy.
