White House: VA Secretary's False Statement Will Not Impact Work

 The White House does not expect U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald's false claim that he served in the U.S. special forces to impact his work, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"We take him at his word and expect that this will not impact the important work he's doing to promote the health and well-being of our nation's veterans," the spokesperson said.

McDonald apologized on Monday for saying he had served in the special forces when he had not.

McDonald was confirmed to lead the troubled agency last July after former secretary Eric Shinseki resigned following cover-ups of long wait times for veterans in need of health care.