White House defends U.S. VA secretary after false statement

The White House on Tuesday defended U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald after he apologized for falsely saying he served in the U.S. special forces, but a top Republican said the scuffle could hurt trust in the department. McDonald said in a statement on Monday that he had met a homeless man in Los Angeles who said he served in the special forces. McDonald said he incorrectly responded that he had also served there, and he apologized for what he called a "misstatem