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\"There was nothing that was done improper,\" Shulkin told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America in March of 2018. \"What happened was this was a politicized issue. This was used to try to decrease my effectiveness in getting the job done for our veterans.\"

Shulkin and his wife, along with senior VA leaders and a six-member security detail flew a commercial airline to Copenhagen in July 2017 to attend a day-and-a-half of meetings with Danish government officials to discuss veterans issues, but the trip also included a day of tourist stops.

According to the 2018 report, Shulkin's chief of staff misled VA ethics officials at the time so his wife’s travel expenses could be covered by the department.

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