Despite E-mails, VA Boss Denies Cover Up

Michael Kussman, the VA’s Under Secretary For Health, Denied Any Wrong Doing During VA Lawsuit

(CBS)  CBS News investigative producer Pia Malbran wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

---

The head of health care at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) denied any wrong doing by the agency on Thursday as more internal emails surfaced showing VA officials discussed withholding suicide information from the public.

While on the stand in California federal court, where the VA is facing a lawsuit filed by veteran advocates who are demanding better health care, Dr. Michael Kussman, the VA’s Under Secretary for Health, said, “I disagree with the premise that there was some effort to cover up something.”

On March 10 of this year, Everett Chasen, the chief communications officer for the VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA) sent an e-mail message to several top agency officials including Kussman. At the time, CBS News was preparing a report about attempted suicides among VA patients. Chasen wrote, “I don’t want to give CBS any more numbers on veteran suicides or attempts than they already have - it will only lead to more questions.”

In response, Kussman said he did not “recall” the message. He said, “Obviously I’m [copied] on the e-mail but I get [copied] on a huge number of e-mails everyday.”

In another e-mail - dated December 15, 2007 - Dr. Ira Katz, who oversees mental health at the VA, informed Kussman that “there are 18 suicides per day” among all vets and “4-5 suicides per day” among those being treated by the VA. When asked by lawyers in court if these figures raised any concerns, Kussman said, “Any suicide is cause for concern.” However, despite repeated requests by media and members of Congress, the VA has never made these figures publicly known.

Two other e-mails presented in court on Thursday show VA officials calling a CBS News investigative report on veteran suicides “defensible” with a methodology that “appears to be correct.”

CBS News spent five months compiling nationwide suicide data based on state death records after the VA said they did not collect this kind of information. The report was broadcast last November and heavily criticized by VA officials.

Kussman was asked if the VA ever told Congressman Steve Buyer, R-Ind, who questioned the accuracy of the CBS News report, that the report was “defensible.” Kussman said, “I don’t know if that was specifically communicated to the congressman.”

[forthepeopl1]

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China%u2019s .. Interests and enabling their access to Western economic assistance
and high technology

In late January 2006, Goldman Sachs purchased a stake in the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China%u2019s biggest bank, for $2.58 billion
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson''''''''s .. Personal stake .. In this transaction
was $25 million

A PERSONAL BAIL OUT for : Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and His
Criminal Friends

(

[liberalme]

Up the proverbial neocon river of--de-nile.

[bobnjersey]

[In response, Kussman said he did not %u201Crecall%u201D the message. He said, %u201CObviously I%u2019m [copied] on the e-mail but I get [copied] on a huge number of e-mails everyday.%u201D ]

i''m sorry senator ... i have no recollection of that email (conversion, incident, meeting, statement).

isn''t this the ken lay(enron), bernie ebbers(worldcom), and dennis kozlowski(tyco) defense?

[inventagod2]

Despite signing off on torture, Bu$h denies torture...

Administration is disgusting from top to bottom.

[dowjones20k]

just another politcal appointee doing what them and thier buddy''s do best ...

I cant recall ....

VOTE THEM ALL OUT !!! and FIRE ALL OF THE OTHERS !!!

[walt1944-2009]

The VA is attempting to perform damage control regarding e-mails which flatly state the VA should be covering up rising suicides rates among returning combat vaterans.

Although copied on e-mails discussing how best to cover things up, the head of the VA cannot recall reading any because he gets so many. Perhaps those of us who have car loan, mortage, and credit card agreements should contest the validity of these documents with the story that we don''t remember signing them!

At any rate, it is believed that the Great Emperor Bush II will intervene, as he usually does, in such matters by expressing full support for the head of the VA and its work, but in the sanctity of the Oval Office, will tell the head of the VA to resign OR ELSE!!! The Great Emperor will then replace the newly departed head of the VA with someone more incompetent than he was!

The problem thus "resolved", the Great Emperor will move on to other issues such as pondering why his engaged daughter, Jenna, will not support a Fascist Nazi Republican in the general election, and why the First Lady insists on becoming a co-anchor of the Today show!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, (more of the same) McCain!!!

[mswolfestock]

This article and the broader issue of veterans'' inadequate health care should be discussed with every teenager who might want to join the military. Nobody tells them that the VA will forget and forsake them after they risk their lives to feed their families.

[cyberus-2009]

----
Although copied on e-mails discussing how best to cover things up, the head of the VA cannot recall reading any because he gets so many. Perhaps those of us who have car loan, mortage, and credit card agreements should contest the validity of these documents with the story that we don''''t remember signing them!

Posted by walt1944
----
Nice idea .. too bad thats like saying you didn''t pay a bill because you didn''t get it in the mail. All these things are one way ... if the gov''t or a business drops something in regular mail and you don''t get it thats tough, we sent it you''re responsible, on the flip side if you send something to THEM you dang well better send it certified with return receipt and be prepared to go there in person with the receipt to prove you sent it if they lose or otherwise misplace it.
This joker will most likely slide under the same principle, prove I got it.

[tibu987]

It is time for a complete overhaul of the VA.
From the lackadaisical employees who seem to have time for everything except taking care of the vets.
From the top, the decision makers who decide that a vet who has lost a quarter of his brain and head and is given a 10% disability.
And, for the VA hospitals that have a higher death and MRSA rate than all other hospitals.
Etc., etc., etc.

Our vets deserve nothing less than the very best care that this Country can give, NOTHING less.
And, it is our duty as appreciative Americans to see that our vets get the very best of everything.
Write the President, your senator, your congressman and tell them.
I do.

[stn_sage]

It sounds to me like Dr. Kussman couldn''t recall a few key things. It sort of reminds me of a former Bush administration who had a similar problem---one Alberto Gonzalez, former attorney general!

And, ofcourse, we all know how innocent he was, don''t we?! But, if you''re part of a conspiracy by falsifying records, filing false reports, lying to Congress, possibly mistreating patients, lying to relatives, etcetera---all things that might have been done in the name of expediency---then, you TOO, would tend not to recall certain things---particularly things like these! It''s understandable.

[mjvw2]

A perfect example of the bureaucratic garbage we will all get with government health care. VA IS GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE. Be careful what you wish for.

[mjvw2]

I did not have *** with that woman

[redbds]

Of all the agencies that I have ever had to deal with, I think that the VA is the worst. When veterans file claims for disability with the VA their policy is to deny benefits and hope that you won''t appeal. They are definately not in business to help veterans.

[terrapin78]

...and why the First Lady insists on becoming a co-anchor of the Today show!
Posted by walt1944 at 12:57 PM : Apr 25, 2008


What?

Now I know I will never watch the Today Show!

[csmith1948]

Heck of a job Kussy!

[mjvw2]

A perfect example of the bureaucratic garbage we will all get with government health care. VA IS GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE. Be careful what you wish for.

[starleo146]

Pentagon Propaganda: So Much Worse Than We Thought

By John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, PR Watch. Posted April 25, 2008.

The Bush Administration has spent millions on deceptive PR to sell the war, as recently documented in the New York Times. Where''s the fallout?

[starleo146]

avid Barstow of the New York Times has written the first installment in what is already a stunning exposi of the Bush Administration''s most powerful propaganda weapon used to sell and manage the war on Iraq: the embedding of military propagandists directly into the TV networks as on-air commentators. We and others have long criticized the

widespread TV network practice of hiring former military officials to serve as analysts, but even in our most cynical moments we did not anticipate how bad it was. Barstow has painstakingly documented how these analysts, most of them military industry consultants and lobbyists, were directly chosen, managed, coordinated and given their talking points by the Pentagon''s ministers of propaganda.

[starleo146]

Thanks to the two-year investigation by the New York Times, we today know that Victoria Clarke, then the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, launched the Pentagon military analyst program in early 2002. These supposedly independent military analysts were in fact a coordinated team of pro-war propagandists, personally recruited by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and acting under Clarke''s tutelage and development.

One former participant, NBC military analyst Kenneth Allard, has called the effort "psyops on steroids." As Barstow reports, "Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as ''message force multipliers'' or ''surrogates'' who could be counted on to deliver administration ''themes and messages'' to millions of Americans ''in the form of their own opinions.'' %u2026 Don Meyer, an aide to Ms. Clarke, said a strategic decision was made in 2002 to make the analysts the main focus of the public relations push to construct a case for war."

[starleo146]

Clarke and her senior aideBrent T. Krueger, eventually signed up more than 75 retired military officers who penned newspaper op/ed columns and appeared on television and radio news shows as military analysts. The Pentagon held weekly meetings with the military analysts, which continued as of April 20, 2008, when the New York Times ran Barstow''s story. The program proved so successful that it was expanded to issues besides the Iraq War. "Other branches of the

administration also began to make use of the analysts. Mr. Gonzales, then the attorney general, met with them soon after news leaked that the government was wiretapping terrorism suspects in the United States without warrants, Pentagon records show. When David H. Petraeus was appointed the commanding general in Iraq in January 2007, one of his early acts was to meet with the analysts."

Bar

[starleo146]

Brent T. Krueger, eventually signed up more than 75 retired military officers who penned newspaper op/ed columns and appeared on television and radio news shows as military analysts. The Pentagon held weekly meetings with the military analysts, which continued as of April 20, 2008, when the New York Times ran Barstow''s story. The program proved so successful that it was expanded to issues besides the Iraq War. "Other branches of the

administration also began to make use of the analysts. Mr. Gonzales, then the attorney general, met with them soon after news leaked that the government was wiretapping terrorism suspects in the United States without warrants, Pentagon records show. When David H. Petraeus was appointed the commanding general in Iraq in January 2007, one of his early acts was to meet with the analysts."

[starleo146]

Barstow spent two years digging, using the Freedom of Information Act and attorneys to force the Bush Administration to release some 8,000 pages of documents now under lock and key at the New York Times. This treasure trove should result in additional stories, giving them a sort of "Pentagon Papers" of Iraq war propaganda.

In 1971, when the Times printed excerpts of the Pentagon Papers on its front page, it precipitated a constitutional showdown with the Nixon Administration over the deception and lies that sold the war in Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers issue dominated the news media back then. Today, however, Barstow''s stunning report is being ignored by the most important news media in America -- TV news -- the source where most Americans, unfortunately, get most of their information.

[starleo146]

eat your heart out. Goebbels is history''s most notorious war propagandist, but even he could not have invented a smoother PR vehicle for selling and maintaining media and public support for a war: embed trusted "independent" military experts into the TV newsroom. As with most propaganda, the key to the success of this effort was the element of concealment, as these analysts and the Bush administration hid the fact that their talking points and marching orders were coming directly from the Pentagon.

The use of these analysts was a glaring violation of journalistic standards. As the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists explains, journalists are supposed to:

* Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

* Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

* Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement,

public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.

* Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

[starleo146]

* Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.

* Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.

* Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money.

The networks using these analysts as journalists shamelessly failed to vet their experts and ignored the obvious conflicts of hiring a person with financial relationships to companies profiting from war to be an on-air analyst of war. They acted as if war was a football game and their military commentators were former coaches and players familiar with the rules and strategies. The TV networks even paid these "analysts" for their propaganda, enabling them to present themselves as "third party experts" while parroting White House talking points to sell the war.

[starleo146]

Now that Barstow has blown their cover, the TV networks have generally refused to comment about this matter. Further compounding their violations of the public trust, they are blacking out coverage of the New York Times exposi, no doubt on advice of their own PR and crisis management advisors.

Since the 1920s there have been laws passed to stop the government from doing what Barstow has exposed. It is actually illegal in the United States for the government to propagandize its own citizens. As Barstow''s report demonstrates, these laws have been repeatedly violated, are not enforced and are clearly inadequate. The U.S. Congress therefore needs to investigate this and the rest of the Bush propaganda campaign that sold the war in Iraq.

The attack and occupation of Iraq continues, with no end in sight. Estimates of the number of Iraqi dead range from the hundreds of thousands to more than a million. The cost to American taxpayers will eventually be in the trillions of dollars. More than 4,000 US soldiers have lost their lives, and this is just a part of the horrific toll of mental and physical disability that the war is taking on hundreds of thousands of troops and their families.

[starleo146]

This war would never have been possible had the mainstream news media done its job. Instead, it has repeated the Big Lies that sold the war. This war would never have been possible without the millions of dollars spent by the Bush Administration on sophisticated and deceptive public relations techniques such as the Pentagon military analyst program that David Barstow has exposed. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Victoria Clarke, who designed and oversaw this Pentagon propaganda machine, now works as a commentator for TV network news. She may have changed jobs and employers since leaving the Pentagon, but her work remains the same.

[rushlimpdrug]

Wow.

But pleeeze tell me his is patriotic and
wears his flag lapel pin.

That would make everything ok.

[rushlimpdrug]

"This war would never have been possible had the mainstream news media done its job. Instead, it has repeated the Big Lies that sold the war. This war would never have been possible without the millions of dollars spent by the Bush Administration on sophisticated and deceptive public relations techniques such as the Pentagon military analyst program that David Barstow has exposed.
Posted by starleo14672 at 04:07 PM


Bravo for saying what MILLIONS of Americans know
and the media thinks we don''t know.

[inventagod2]

I-EEE KNOWWWW NUZINKKK!!!

[toolmangler-2009]

She may have changed jobs and employers since leaving the Pentagon, but her work remains the same.

Posted by starleo14672 at 04:07 PM : Apr 25, 2008


Edward R. Murrow was one of the last journalists to tell it like it is. Most of the others like their "phoney-Balogney" jobs and are scared to buck the system, Murrow put integrity ahead of politics

[starleo146]

Thank you for your post ToolMangler we use to have investigators as you stated now what ever the pay off is to keep quiet is the News of today, disgusting and should not go blindly into the night, All should be held accountable. Especially Rumsfelds right arm and mouthpiece who we have still listen to Victoria Clarke

[starleo146]

Make the news media talk about this, make it known who is involved with this cover up, and why, did they feel we the people should should be kept in the dark,and Why. War is the last thing we should contemplate,Lies, Lies, and we knew the Bush administration lied, but the news , we cannot believe them either.No wonder they let all the reporters ride with the troops to Iraq.Pay off maybe?

[starleo146]

The use of these analysts was a glaring violation of journalistic standards. As the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists explains, journalists are supposed to:

* Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

* Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

* Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement,

public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.

* Disclose unavoidable conflicts.

this is code of conduct for the media What a joke and there integrity is damaged tremendously and every American that reads a newspaper or watch tv news or listen to the news on the Radio should wonder are they telling the truth?

[macusweil]

GOP standard operating procedure: when caught red handed deny everything, public will soon forget whole thing anyway. Our Vets pay the price, twice.

[macusweil]

"Wow. But pleeeze tell me his is patriotic and
wears his flag lapel pin. That would make everything ok."

Bet he also puts his hand over heart during both the pledge AND the national anthem, plus has whack-a-doodle magnetic yellow ribbon on his SUV!!

[bookwerm314]

Can''t wait until ANY new prez gets in.. we can clean the sewage out of the government that Bush sucked in! Mein Gott they suck. Layers and layers.. FAA treats the airlines as their CUSTOMER! No, not their WATCHDOG.. they don''t work for US . no sirre bob.. not in the BUSH world.. sure, what are a few crashes and risky things between golfing buds? Huh?

[tibu987]

It is time for a complete overhaul of the VA.
From the lackadaisical employees who seem to have time for everything except taking care of the vets.
From the top, the decision makers who decide that a vet who has lost a quarter of his brain and head and is given only a 10% disability.
And, for the VA hospitals that have a higher death and MRSA rate than all other hospitals.
Etc., etc., etc.

Our vets deserve nothing less than the very best care that this Country can give, NOTHING less.
And, it is our duty as appreciative Americans to see that our vets get the very best of everything.
Write the President, your senator, your congressman and tell them.
I do.

[starleo146]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/25/cbsnews_investigates/main4044399.shtml

[radiob-2009]

this is code of conduct for the media What a joke and there integrity is damaged tremendously and every American that reads a newspaper or watch tv news or listen to the news on the Radio should wonder are they telling the truth?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by starleo14672


If the media did its job then we would not be in Iraq, would not have NAFTA and alot of other problems.