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May 30 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday said former Veterans Affairs Department chief of staff Peter O'Rourke will fill-in as secretary until permanent nominee Robert Wilkie is confirmed by the Senate. The announcement means O'Rourke will head the department for the time it takes Wilkie to be confirmed or rejected by the uper chamber.
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O'Rourke is the leader of the VA's new accountability office. He assumed the interim secretary post Tuesday, the White House said.
Wilkie has led the VA on an interim basis since White House physician Ronny Jackson withdrew his name from consideration in March, over ethics complaints. He was nominated May 18.
If confirmed, Wilkie will take over a department that has seen turmoil for months. Before Jackson's failed appointment, former VA Secretary Tom Shulkin was replaced after a year in the post amid concerns and complaints about travel costs.
