Republican and Marine Corps veteran Rep. Mike Coffman on Thursday said "the odds are not with" Dr. Ronny Jackson, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Administration, adding that "if he fails to clean house, he will fail."
Coffman, R-Colo., made the comments during an interview on CNN's "New Day" morning program.
Coffman, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was outspoken that former VA chief David Shulkin "needed to go," but he has doubts whether Navy Rear Admiral Jackson - or anyone else — can make the necessary reparations at the embattled VA.
"Unless this Navy officer's gonna be Marine Corps tough, and go in there and clean house and say, 'You really don't belong here' … unless he's gonna be tough, nothing's gonna change," Coffman said on CNN.
"It's gonna be tough and I'll be frank with you, the odds are not with him," Coffman said. "If he fails to clean house, he will fail."
Coffman said he "would be concerned about any appointment" while adding that Shulkin needed to go.
"Dr. Shulkin did nothing to change the culture within the VA. There's a calcified layer at the top of the most senior executive service levels that have failed our veterans year after year. Nothing changed at the VA and he really needed to go," Coffman said.
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