Shulkin pushes back at White House: I didn’t resign, I was fired by tweet

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin pushed back on a White House statement saying he resigned from his post, telling CNN on Monday he was fired via a tweet from President Trump. 

“[White House chief of staff John] Kelly gave me a heads up that the President would most likely be tweeting out a message in the very near future, and I appreciated having that heads-up from Gen. Kelly,” Shulkin told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.”

{mosads}”So the tweet fired you?” Camerota asked Shulkin, to which he replied “Yes.” 

Shulkin made the rounds on Washington’s Sunday talk show circuit last weekend, maintaining he did not tender his own resignation. 

White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters gave a different version of events in a statement to Politico last weekend. 

“Secretary Shulkin resigned from his position as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Walters said. 

The Hill reached out to the White House on Sunday to clarify the two accounts. A spokesperson said the statement from Walters regarding Shulkin “still stands.” 

Trump announced in a tweet on Wednesday that he would be replacing Shulkin with White House physician Adm. Ronny Jackson. 

I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L. Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

Shulkin told CNN on Sunday that he “never had any issues” with Trump and that the behavior of some political appointees in the administration has created a “difficult environment.”

“This is the president’s call and I respect his decision,” Shulkin said.