Bernie lied, Veterans died.
Senator Bernie Sanders worked hard to cover up the VA death factory that was killing veterans. He lied about it. And then the Socialist lied about it some more.
After urging media to remain neutral over claims that 40 U.S. veterans died at the Phoenix VA while waiting to receive care, Sanders said, “The allegation is not that the delay in care caused that, only that that is what is now being investigated.”
“Did the delay in care of these people on the secret waiting list actually cause these deaths? We don’t know,” Sanders said.
At one point, the CNN host replied, “Is it unfair criticism, senator, to say that you sound like a lawyer defending the hospital as opposed to a senator trying to make sure the right thing is done?”
Vets spoke out against Bernie Sanders when he tried to slime his way into the White House.
Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said Sanders largely ignored the appeals of organizations like his during a time when media and government reports exposed how veterans were waiting months for appointments and VA officials were covering up the delays.
"For far too long he was apologizing for the VA. He was refusing to acknowledge the severity. He was positioning it as a smaller issue than it was while veterans were dying waiting for care," Rieckhoff told CNN.
Rieckhoff says Sanders had to be ignoring what was happening on the other side of the Capitol during this time, when House Committee on Veterans Affairs investigators were digging up records, swearing in whistleblowers and exposing the massive scandal.
During the time the House VA committee held 42 separate hearings related to oversight of the VA, the Senate VA committee -- chaired by Sanders -- held about seven hearings on these issues.
“We feel that he did not live up to his responsibilities as SVAC chairman to provide oversight into this. He keeps hiding behind the mantle [of the title]. And yes, he did pass the $15 billion piece of legislation, but that’s… akin to closing the barn door after the chickens have escaped,” said Matthew Miller, the chief policy officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
By the time the scandal broke, Sanders had been chairman for more than a year. While the House VA committee held 42 hearings on VA oversight, the Senate VA committee chaired by Sanders held only about seven hearings on the matter.
“The House needed a partner in the Senate to help flesh out the problems at the VA, and unfortunately Bernie Sanders was not that partner. Jeff Miller and his committee were the ones who pursued this and ultimately uncovered [the VA scandal]… only when the VA scandal broke was when [Sanders] ultimately decided to do oversight hearings,” said Dan Caldwell, the vice president for political and legislative action of Concerned Veterans for America.
Even the New York Times desperately spun Sanders' actions as, "Faith in Agency Clouded Bernie Sanders's V.A. Response."
So you know it was bad. Now Sanders has crawled out of his pricey new vacation home to claim that ObamaCare repeal will kill thousands.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Monday that “thousands of Americans will die” under the House GOP’s plans to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
"If this legislation is passed and millions of people are thrown off health insurance...thousands of Americans will die," Sanders told reporters.
How many vets died on Bernie's watch?
Furthermore, if Bernie Sanders had gotten his way, we would have socialized medicine, treatment rationing and people dying in hospitals unable to get care or any private alternative to Bernie's death panels.