Even before Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie was sworn in July 30, he discovered what his predecessor, David Shulkin, had known: The real power at the VA resides at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club in Florida, wielded by a triumvirate of Mar-a-Lago members led by Ike Perlmutter, the almost comically reclusive CEO of Marvel Entertainment, Isaac Arnsdorf reports at ProPublica.
When Trump asked Perlmutter, a friend and confidante, to help put together his government in December 2016, he agreed to be an outside adviser, selected veterans as his focus, and roped in two other friends, Palm Beach doctor Bruce Moskovitz and lawyer Marc Sherman, Arnsdorf says. The "Mar-a-Lago Crowd," as they're known among VA insiders, have secretly exerted sweeping influence on the VA ever since — even though none of the three has ever served in the U.S. military or government and appear to have no special knowledge of veterans issues.
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