WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama will nominate former Procter & Gamble executive Robert McDonald to lead a Veterans Affairs department gripped by reports of treatment delays and cover-ups.
An administration official says Obama plans to nominate McDonald on Monday. If confirmed by the Senate, the 61-year-old McDonald would succeed Eric Shinseki (shin-SEHK’-ee), who resigned last month as the scope of the issues at veterans’ hospitals became apparent.
McDonald’s nomination signals that Obama put a premium on management experience as he sought a new VA secretary. McDonald also has a military background, graduating near the top of his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and serving as a captain in the Army.
The administration official insisted on anonymity in order to confirm McDonald’s appointment before the president’s announcement.