'I Consider Your Answers Just...': Richard Blumenthal Appears Shocked By Nominee's Responses

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During a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing last week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) questioned Cheryl Mason on her role as an advisor in the Trump transition team.

Transcript

00:00Mr. Bergen to the table.

00:01Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:03I'd like to put into the record two articles,

00:08one from government executive entitled

00:11VA Forces Staff and Workforce Reduction Discussions

00:15to Sign Nondisclosure Agreements,

00:18another from the New York Times,

00:19fired inspectors general, raised alarms

00:21as Trump administration moves to finalize purge,

00:24and then a letter that I did to the counsel

00:25of the inspectors general on integrity and efficiency.

00:28Let me ask you, have you been involved

00:34in the termination or firing of any employee

00:39of the Veterans Administration?

00:41Since taking office in 2025, I have not.

00:44Prior to that as chairman, yes.

00:47In other words, since taking your present position,

00:50you have not been involved in any termination

00:52or firing of any single or any employee whatsoever?

00:57No, Senator Blumenthal, I have not.

00:58How about in the cancellation of any contract?

01:01I have not been involved in any cancellations

01:03of any contracts, Senator Blumenthal.

01:05Prior to this role, you served

01:08on the president's transition team?

01:10I did, yes.

01:11And what was the subject matter?

01:14The subject matter was the Department of Veterans Affairs.

01:16Department of Veterans Affairs.

01:17Yes.

01:18So your involvement in the Department

01:21of Veterans Affairs predated your present position.

01:27My involvement with the Department of Veterans Affairs

01:30goes all the way back to 1990, Senator Blumenthal.

01:32Well, I mean, as part of the Trump administration,

01:36when did you begin your service on the transition team?

01:40I believe it was the end of November of 2024.

01:45I would have to check that.

01:47November of 2024.

01:48Mm-hmm.

01:49So for whatever number of months it is,

01:53you've been involved in reviewing and advising

01:57and proposing policies.

02:00You've been involved in the workings

02:02of the Veterans Affairs Administration.

02:04Senator Blumenthal, thank you for the question.

02:05And let me clarify, as a member of the transition team,

02:08my role was to speak with the careerists

02:13who were currently in, Secretary McDonough,

02:16who were leaving office and find out what they were doing.

02:20So I was part of what they would call the landing team.

02:23So my role was simply to look at the and ask questions

02:27about how they were operating at the time

02:29to get that information so we would be ready

02:32to start out day one.

02:34Could you give me three decisions or actions

02:38by the Department of Veterans Affairs since the inaugural

02:43that you've been involved in doing?

02:45Well, Senator Blumenthal is a senior advisor.

02:47I'm not involved in any decisions.

02:49That's not my role.

02:49No, I'm asking you whether you've been involved in them

02:52as an advisor.

02:53Three decisions or actions where you've served as an advisor.

02:57I cannot.

02:58My role was to gather information

03:00and convey that information back and forth.

03:02I can't believe that you are telling us

03:04that you haven't been involved in a single action

03:09or decision as an advisor.

03:14I don't have the authority to, sir.

03:17My only role is to recommend, gather information,

03:21convey information, and recommend two different parties.

03:25I consider your answers just, well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.

03:30Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.

03:33Mr. Mason, anything you'd like to add to the record

03:35before we call up Mr. Burden?

03:37Yes, Chairman Moran, a couple of things.

03:40So Senator Hirono brought up the concern

03:43about me not stepping out of my role.

03:45I did step out of my role as senior advisor

03:47to the secretary shortly after it was announced,

03:50and I also moved out of the suite, the secretary's suite,

03:54as Senator Duckworth noted, that is behind.

03:57And I thought it was very important that I do so.

04:00Again, you can't just look at me as my role

04:06since January of 2025.

04:08And yes, again, I understand Senator Blumenthal's concern

04:11about the perception and assumption of senior advisor.

04:16But my role as senior advisor, my role, just me, Cheryl Mason,

04:20was to come in and bring the knowledge that I have

04:24from my many years of service as an independent, impartial player

04:28at the Board of Veterans' Appeals, 28 years in that role,

04:31and making decisions for veterans, serving veterans,

04:35and to look at what the department was doing,

04:39particularly within VBA, the Board of Veterans' Appeals primarily,

04:42and to ensure that we were doing our best to serve veterans

04:46on education, all lines of business in VBA.

04:49I understand that it might be incredulous

04:52that I wasn't involved in decisions, but that wasn't my role.

04:57My role was to advise and to recommend.

05:00Whether the secretary or other leaders followed my advice,

05:04much like as I did as a consultant,

05:07sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

05:10So I appreciate it.

05:11And I'm happy to meet with anybody after the hearing,

05:14and I look forward to your post-hearing questions.

05:17Ms. Mason.

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