President Trump has nominated Robert Weaver, 39, to head the Indian Health Service, citing his "nearly two decades of experience." But The Wall Street Journal is now raising questions about whether or not the Quapaw tribe member is actually qualified for the job. Of particular scrutiny is the time Weaver spent at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, between 1997 and 2006, as he listed on the resume he gave to senators.
Weaver claims he had a financial role at the hospital and that he held "supervisory and management positions." Augusto Noronha, the chief financial officer at the hospital from 1999 to 2005, said: "I don't recall [Weaver's] name whatsoever." The director of patient financial services, Bob Henderson, said he did know the name Rob Weaver, and that the man had worked to register E.R. patients. When asked by the Journal if such a position was a leadership role, Henderson said: "Well, I guess it would depend upon how you look at leadership."
The hospital was unable to officially verify what Weaver's position was because of a 2011 tornado that damaged records. A Health and Human Services spokeswoman said Weaver's own employment records were destroyed in the same tornado.
"When asked by the Journal what constituted [Weaver's Indian Health Service] experience," The Wall Street Journal adds, "the spokeswoman said he had needed the system as a patient, especially when he was a child, and pointed to his career in health care." Read more about the questions surrounding Weaver's nomination to lead the agency responsible for the health care of more than 2 million Native Americans at The Wall Street Journal.