Source: CNN
President-elect Donald Trump has announced former congressman Doug Collins as his pick to run the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need,” Trump said in a statement Thursday.
The pick is Trump’s latest nod to House Republicans who remained deeply loyal during some of the most difficult moments during his first term. As the former top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Collins was on the front lines of his party’s defense against several attempts at oversight of the then-president, including during his first impeachment.
Collins, a lawyer and veteran who served in Iraq, is currently an Air Force Reserve chaplain. As VA secretary, he would take over the running of a major agency responsible for looking after the interests of more than 16 million veterans – everything from education benefits to home loans, health care, funerals and disability compensation payments.
The VA oversees one of the largest integrated health care systems in the country, which is made up of more than 170 medical centers and more than 1,000 other sites of care.
Collins, who represented Georgia in the US House from 2013 to 2021, was named the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee in 2019. In that role, he led the Republican charge against special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Collins at times faced backlash for his defense of the then-president against his congressional colleagues. In 2020, he publicly apologized after he accused Democrats of being “in love with terrorists” in response to a question about Democrats’ efforts to limit Trump’s war powers following the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
He mounted an unsuccessful bid for Senate in 2020 that pitted him against then-Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who ultimately lost the seat to her Democratic opponent. During his run, Collins enjoyed the support of some of the biggest names in the MAGA movement, undertaking a “Trump Defender Statewide Tour” with then- Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Gaetz was earlier announced as Trump’s selection to serve as the next attorney general.
This story has been updated with additional details.