Secretary David Shulkin‘s departure followed months of internal turmoil at the VA, the government's second largest department. | Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Shulkin denies he resigned as VA chief

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on Sunday denied he resigned his position.

In an interview on NBC’s "Meet the Press," the ousted VA chief again argued he was undermined by elements of the Trump administration seeking to privatize services for veterans and said his potential successor, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, would need “a good team around him” to be successful.


The White House has said Shulkin resigned from the VA. But pressed by moderator Chuck Todd on the nature of his departure, Shulkin denied he was asked to submit a letter of resignation. He added that he had spoken to President Donald Trump only hours before his departure was announced and was scheduled to meet with him the following morning.

“We actually spoke the day that he sent the tweet out just a few hours before," Shulkin said of Trump. "And we talked a lot about issues at VA that were important and how we could continue to make progress on policy issues."

Shulkin’s ouster came after months of internal turmoil at VA. He was dinged by an inspector general report for misuse of government travel. In the days since his departure, Shulkin, the lone Obama holdover in Trump’s Cabinet, has argued he was forced out because he had resisted efforts to privatize VA services.

“I do believe that there were no ethical violations here, that this was being used in a political context to exploit the situation,” Shulkin said. “And I do believe that the issue at hand is the future of VA and whether it's going to be privatized or not.”

He said Jackson, Trump’s personal physician, "is going to need to have a good team around him" to succeed at VA.

Jackson‘s views on veterans issues are largely unknown, and the pick has raised questions over whether he has the experience to lead the massive bureaucracy.

"This is a very tough job. I'm not sure that anybody realizes how complex this is. A $200 billion budget. 370,000 people. Working with Congress and representing veterans," Shulkin said. "I wish him the best. I will do everything I can to make sure that he is successful."