{"id":2329,"date":"2018-04-01T12:20:20","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T16:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=2329"},"modified":"2018-04-01T12:20:20","modified_gmt":"2018-04-01T16:20:20","slug":"mtp-fired-va-sec-shulkin-says-he-did-not-resign-contrary-to-white-house-statement-he-and-trump-had-set-up-a-meeting-for-the-very-next-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2018\/04\/01\/mtp-fired-va-sec-shulkin-says-he-did-not-resign-contrary-to-white-house-statement-he-and-trump-had-set-up-a-meeting-for-the-very-next-day\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP: FIRED VA SEC. SHULKIN SAYS HE DID NOT RESIGN CONTRARY TO WHITE HOUSE STATEMENT, HE AND TRUMP \u2018HAD SET UP A MEETING FOR THE VERY NEXT DAY\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLUS: Shulkin on firing: \u201cThis was somewhat of a surprise\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.): Trump \u201cneeds to understand the effect\u201d firing officials on Twitter \u201chas on attracting other people\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Johnson is \u201cpleased with the appointment of John Huber,\u201d says Mueller \u201cwas appointed too soon\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Alan Dershowitz would not join Trump legal team if asked, wants to remain independent\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

APRIL 1, 2018 \u2013 In an interview with \u201cMeet the Press\u201d moderator Chuck Todd, fired Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin<\/strong> says he did not resign<\/a> and was not asked to submit a letter of resignation, contrary to a White House statement that he had \u201cresigned from his position.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGeneral Kelly gave me a call very shortly before the tweet came out,\u201d Shulkin told Todd, referring to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and President Donald Trump\u2019s tweet<\/a> naming Admiral Ronny Jackson to his position. Shulkin said he and the president had spoken \u201cjust a few hours before,\u201d and \u201cwe had set up a meeting for the very next day.\u201d \u201cThis was somewhat of a surprise,\u201d he added. Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) reacted<\/a> to Trump\u2019s firing of Shulkin on Twitter in an exclusive interview: \u201cIt\u2019s not the way I\u2019d do it. \u2026 The president needs to understand the effect it has on attracting other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson shared he\u2019s \u201cpleased with the appointment of John Huber,\u201d the U.S. attorney investigating claims of FBI misconduct, and that \u201cit\u2019s the best case for the time being\u201d that Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not appoint a special counsel. In regard to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, \u201che was appointed too soon,\u201d Johnson said. Watch the full interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

Alan Dershowitz<\/strong>, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and author of Trumped Up:<\/em> How the Criminalization of Political Differences Endangers Democracy<\/em>, and Bob Bauer<\/strong>, former White House Counsel to President Barack Obama, also joined the broadcast in an exclusive joint interview. Bauer told Todd, \u201cSince Donald Trump may have known that the Kremlin sent emissaries to his campaign in June of 2016 to talk about support for his campaign, he might take the advice that he gave Bill Clinton in 1999: \u201cTake the Fifth.\u201d\u201d When asked if he would join Trump\u2019s legal team in any capacity if asked, Dershowitz replied, \u201cNo, I want to remain independent.\u201d Watch the interview.<\/a><\/p>\n

NPR\u2019s Joshua Johnson<\/strong>, TIME\u2019s Elise Jordan<\/strong>, AEI\u2019s Danielle Pletka<\/strong> and syndicated columnist George Will<\/strong> joined this morning\u2019s roundtable to discuss the week in politics, including policy with Russia<\/a>. \u201cThe administration has represented a stronger line on Russia policy than the Obama administration did,\u201d argued Pletka.<\/p>\n

Read the full transcript of this morning\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on\u00a0<\/strong>MeetThePress.com.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week,\u00a0sign up for the \u201cFirst Read\u201d newsletter<\/a>, and subscribe to\u00a0\u201c1947: The Meet the Press Podcast\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for on-demand interviews.<\/p>\n

PLEASE CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 \u201cMEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n