VA staffers face discipline over travel, porn

Department of Veterans Affairs investigators are calling for disciplinary action against several officials following an internal probe into the VA's special-events office in Washington. The officials include a director who took taxpayer-funded trips to Las Vegas and San Diego that included a sailing trip and a golf outing, records show. The same official - Diane Hartmann, director of national programs and special events - also authorized herself to receive hundreds of hours of leave to which she wasn't entitled, according to a new report by the VA Office of Inspector General. Another employee, whose name and job title VA officials so far have withheld, was caught with thousands of pornographic images on his work computer. The findings were made public following Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by The Washington Times and others seeking copies of the 45-page inspector general's report...read more