Hegseth: V.A. Comment ‘Shows How out of Touch Hillary Clinton Is’

[excerpt]

HEMMER: "Her big point is that it's not as bad as you think. What do you think of that?"

HEGSETH: “My big point is that shows  you how out of touch Hillary Clinton is. The fact she doesn't understand how bad it is in the Department of Veterans Affairs shows how detached she is from the reality of everyday people, and in this case every day veterans, who wait 30, 60, 90 days for care. She says she doesn't understand because the surveys inside the VA are good. Once you get inside the VA, you might get good care, but it's nearly impossible in some cases to get a timely appointment. That was the manifestation of the scandal that was across the country that's been on headlines for over a year, year and a half and she is downplaying it."

HEMMER: "That's an interesting point that once you are on the inside the care is good. But trying to get in is difficult. Would you admit the VA has gotten better? Has it improved under Bob McDonnell and his new leadership?"

HEGSETH: “No, absolutely not. In fact, The New York Times just last month released a report that wait times are up. It's only gotten worse. Talk to veterans across the country like we do every day. Survey she referred to is an internal VA survey where they chose existing patients at the VA. We just polled veterans across America, 90 percent of them demand reform."