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A House committee investigating spending by the Department of Veterans Affairs at two training conferences in Florida last year has released a “Patton” parody video produced by the VA.
The Veterans Affairs department spent $52,000 to make a training video in which an actor parodied actor George C. Scott in the iconic scene from the movie “Patton,” according to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
The $52,000 “Patton” parody video commissioned by the Veterans Affairs Department and released this morning is — let’s be honest — kind of a snooze. The actor sorta sounds like George C. Scott’s Gen. Patton towards the end — I’ll give him that — but doesn’t look like him at all, it’s too long, and what few jokes there are are pretty lame. (And I’m not really sure how one actor, his costume, a big flag, and a smattering of B-roll and interviews with VA employees requires a budget of $52,000.)
The chairman and ranking members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee are demanding a complete accounting of where and how the Department of Veterans Affairs has spent money on employee conferences since 2009.
Stars & Stripes is reporting that the Department of Veterans Affairs spent a grand total of $52,000 on this video played at a conference for employees.
The Veterans Affairs Department allegedly spent $52,000 to produce an 18-minute video parodying the movie “Patton” as part of two training conferences now being investigated for wasteful spending.
At least three key lawmakers have sent letters to the Veterans Affairs Department demanding further details on two multimillion-dollar federal training conferences held in Florida last summer, specifically asking about a video featuring an actor reprising the famous opening scene from the 1970 film “Patton.”
Republican Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is pressing the Obama administration for detailed records on multi-million-dollar conferences the Department of Veterans Affairs has conducted over the past three years.
First there was the General Services Administration’s Las Vegas blowout. Now there’s the Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Patton” parody. And it’s attracted the attention of an influential pair of Republicans, House oversight committee chair Darrell Issa of California and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee.
-- Are you a veteran with a job? Then thank Michelle Obama, because she is taking credit for it. In a speech Wednesday at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Mrs. Obama touted the Joining Forces campaign, which seeks to assist veterans and their spouses in finding employment. The program claims to have helped 125,000 find jobs in the past year, and it is securing commitments for future veteran hires. “These companies are not making these decisions just because it’s the right thing to do — which it is,” said Mrs. Obama. “They’re doing it because it’s the smart thing to do for their bottom lines.”