VA chief of staff retires after lying about secretary's Europe trip

Department of Veterans Affairs chief of staff Vivieca Wright Simpson retired from the department on Friday after an internal report found she lied about the nature of VA Secretary David Shulkin's trip to Europe last year in order to let his wife travel with him on the taxpayers' dime.

A statement from the VA said she "elected to retire" after the report, but also said the department was opening a "formal investigation" into her actions.

As she was planning Shulkin's trip to Europe last year, Wright Simpson was told Shulkin would need to receive an award of some kind in order to justify having the VA pay for his wife's travel.

Shulkin was not going to receive an award, but Wright Simpson altered an email to say he would be attending a "special recognition" dinner to justify paying for Shulkin's wife to attend.

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