Veterans Affairs Bureau (VA) Director Doug Collins accused the reporters of spreading “rumors” and “implications” in interviews about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) actions. Social Media.
In a clip posted on his X account on Tuesday, Collins confronted Patricia Kime about an article entitled “Elon Musk Aide is currently working for VA and has access to its computer systems.”
Collins pulled out a printed copy of the report and accused Kime of “trying to scare” veterans by citing unconfirmed rumors about Doge's actions in the department.
“All I've been doing these days is fighting the allegations and rumors of stories. In fact, Patricia, some of them are with you,” he said, handing the paper to Kime.
Senate confirms Doug Collins leads the Department of Veterans Affairs
Despite firing at least 2,400 employees, Veterans Secretary Doug Collins maintains the VA's commitment to maintain and improve veteran medical benefits. (Getty)
“I need your help because you hurt my veterans with 'rums', 'rums', 'we', 'we', 'we', 'we', and 'we', and it scares my veterans. It scares my employees. Because that's not true,” Collins said.
“Do you promise not to do that in the future?” he pushed the reporter.
Collins went on to tell her she should have asked for Dodge's contact about these rumors.
Military.com Report They cited “rumors” about Doge employees visiting the VA that week, with the intention of mining data on disability compensation and benefits.
The report cited by a VA spokesman confirming that a single Doge employee is tasked with identifying waste and improving efficiency, but denied that the individual has access to veteran or beneficiary data.
Doge Chairman Elon Musk is committed to reducing federal waste. (Getty Images)
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Collins criticized Kime for citing unfounded claims from the start, informing him that these claims about Doge were either “true or false.”
He oldened the reporter by citing a press release from D-Wash Sen. Patty Murray.
It was “unconfirmed hearsay,” Collins said, telling Kimme that it should have been called an “unconfirmed report.”
“So, Patricia, I want to work with you, but I need to commit to me that you're not going to do this,” he said.
“That's fair. I'm working on it,” Kime answered before attempting to ask Collins for a follow-up question, but he kept pushing her to answer his question.
“No, I want to hear the answer first. Are you committed to not making rumors? You're scaring my VA employees about this and you scare my veterans,” he said.
The military veterans will salute at the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony held on September 10, 2023 at Heckshire Park, Huntington, New York. (Newsday RM via James Carbon/Getty Images)
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Kime pushed back the characterization of Collins' reports, saying, “I have problems parsing my own, and that's fine.”
Collins continued to discuss with Kime about her headlines and details of her report, saying, “We want to spend a lot of time as we move forward. But we're not going to scare our employees and veterans. That's the right thing to do. Let's get it right.”
“I'm still the most transparent VA secretary we've had. I'm taking videos. I'll do everything I can to resist everything I'm hearing. So we've got a team to help you, but I need your commitment to help me too,” he added.
The interview clips had over 1 million views on Collins' X account within 24 hours.
Doug Collins is sworn at a confirmation hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee at the Darksen Senate Office Building held in Washington, DC on January 21, 2025. (Samuel Column/Getty Images)
Zachary Fryer-Biggs, editor of Military.com, defended Kime with a fiery response posted on X and shared with Fox News Digital.
“Mr. Secretary – You deliberately misrepresented what's in the story, and your own press has reviewed the details and quoted. Patricia won't be distracted by this nonsense.
When contacted in the comments, VA officials reported to Fox News Digital that “without citing the source, Patricia Kime reported that Doge representatives would access VA disability compensation and benefits information.”
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Collins defended Doge Cuts in the VA as part of the new administration's efforts to reform the department and serve veterans.
in press release Last month, the VA announced that the layoffs of more than 1,000 employees will allow the department to redirect more than $98 million per year with resources returned to healthcare, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.
