This story is free to read.

VA watchdog defends actions in contracting report

FILE - In the Feb. 11, 2015, file photo, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., conveys a message he reads from his mobile phone to witness, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Miller on March 16, accused the inspector general and other officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs of withholding reports from his panel, despite pledges to be transparent. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) FILE - In the Feb. 11, 2015, file photo, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., conveys a message he reads from his mobile phone to witness, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Miller on March 16, accused the inspector general and other officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs of withholding reports from his panel, despite pledges to be transparent. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

By Associated Press March 17, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – The inspector general’s office at the Department of Veterans Affairs is defending its actions after the office drew unusual criticism from its counterpart at the Treasury Department.

In a report in December, the VA inspector’s office found that former VA procurement officer Iris Cooper improperly steered $15 million in uncompetitive contracts to a friend’s company.

The VA report sparked a rare and sharp rebuke from the Treasury Department’s inspector general, who called the allegations against Cooper unsupported. Cooper is now a top contracting official with the Treasury Department.

Maureen Regan, a top official who wrote the VA report, told a congressional committee Monday night that she stands behind it. Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee said he found VA’s actions in the Cooper case troubling.