Maggie Hassan Questions VA Nominee Cheryl Mason on Inspector General Firings and Independence

Nominee's Stance on Legal Directives

• ⚖️ When asked if she would follow the law or a presidential directive to break the law, the nominee stated she would follow the law.

Inspector General Firings

• 🏛️ Senator Hassan questioned the nominee about President Trump's firing of the VA's Inspector General and others, calling it illegal.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The nominee declined to comment directly on the legality of the firings, stating the issue is currently being litigated.
• 📜 However, she acknowledged that the president's actions likely violated the clear language of the statute.

Independence and Recusal

• 🤝 The nominee acknowledged that her prior work advising Secretary Collins could call into question her nonpartisanship and independence.
• 🚫 She committed to recusing herself from any investigations relating to matters she worked on while previously employed by the VA, as is her duty as an attorney.
• ✅ She also committed to continuing any open investigations initiated by the previous inspector general.

Handling Wrongdoing and NDAs

• 🔒 Regarding reports that VA employees working on staffing cuts are required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), the nominee affirmed her commitment.
• 🔍 She pledged that her office will independently and thoroughly investigate any reports of wrongdoing at the VA, regardless of any NDAs employees have been forced to sign.

Office of Inspector General Staffing

• 📉 The nominee was unaware that the Office of the Inspector General at the VA is reportedly being cut by 100 people.