As the VA secret waiting list scandal grows, the two senators from the state where the news first broke say they don't want Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign just yet.
Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona say they want to see Shinseki testify before a House committee while he still holds the title so that he can be held accountable for his agency's actions.
"My own concern is if he were to go right now all the focus would be on the new guy, the new person, and they would be given time to get it right, and we would shift … accountability," Flake said Monday on Fox News Channel's "Hannity."
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McCain agreed, noting that the House Veterans Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear from Shinseki.
"I think we can wait until after that testimony," McCain told Hannity. "I have to say that the testimony before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee was not a very strong performance. Let's wait and see what happens at this next hearing."
Shinseki told the Senate committee in a less-than-forceful voice he is
"mad as hell" about reports of veterans being put on secret waiting lists for weeks and months. The paper lists were used to hide the fact that veterans were not being seen by doctors within the 14-day window that guidelines called for.
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