conference that you just segmented there, they were sending a very clear message, i think, that we got this, there is no need for an independent commission or a select committee. they were certainly making an effort to highlight the bipartisan nature of that probe to kind of push back against some of the momentum that this meltdown in the house has given to proponents of either an independent commission or a select committee to look into russian interference. eric: and as i said, their work privately behind closed doors they had that hearing, but it begins on monday. we ll see what coming out of that. katie bo williams, thank you for joining us. good to be here. arthel: here s the question people are asking, should president trump s former national security adviser, michael flynn, be given immunity to testify before congress? we re going to ask a former cia military analyst on what the president has labeled a witch hunt. plus, the v.a. back in the headlines for the wrong reasons
against whistle blowers show no signs of slowing down. will carr reports from popular bluff, missouri. dr. dale quad may be the highest paid government employee who quite lit 2er8ly does nothing every day. what is your salary? i make approximately $250,000 per year. and what are you doing right now presently at the v.a.? i sit in a chair and i look at the walls. reporter: a double board certified yale fellow he specializes in pain management at the v.a. in southeast missouri. he hasn t seen a patient in more than a year after becoming a whistleblower. klein says he reported alleged secret wait list, alleged time manipulation and he believed veterans might be selling their prescriptions. he said when his superiors did nothing, he went to the inspector general, the missouri v.a. then shut down klein s clinic. we asked for a response on camera, the v.a. declined saying it can t comment on ongoing investigations and offered a statement that
every day. what is your salary? i make approximately $250,000 per year. reporter: and what are you doing right now, presently, at the v.a.? i sit in a chair and i look at the walls. reporter: that said, dr. kline is a double board-certified yale fellow who specializes in pain management at the v.a. in poplar bluff, missouri, but after becoming a whistleblower to the inspector general, court documents showed the missouri v.a. stripped kline of his duties, his clinic was shut down, and he now has to sit in an empty office every day with nothing to do. his attorney says it s all in an effort to ruin his career instead of letting dr. kline help the veterans he wants to care for. when are you going to actually put your money where your mouth is, stop retaliating against whistleblowers and start resolving the issue?
about abuses warned us about abuses. now the alleged actions drawing the attention of a key republican senator. will carr is in our west coast newsroom with the details. will, how bad is that supposed retaliation? reporter: well, eric, some of the whistleblowers we ve spoken with say it s pretty bad. they say their v.a.s have tried to fire them, others are put in what they call solitary confinement within their hospitals. that includes dr. dale kline who may be the highest paid government employee who quite literally does nothing every day. dr. kline makes $250,000 a year as a double board-certified yale fellow who specializes in pain management at the v.a. in poplar bluff, missouri. but after becoming a whistleblower and reporting alleged secret wait lists, wait time manipulation and more to the inspector general in washington, d.c., court documents show the missouri v.a. stripped kline of his duties, his clinic was shut down, and he now has to sit in an empty office every day wit
let s take a strong shot of honesty here. whistle blowing retaliation is alive and well in the v.a. system. reporter: dr. kline says he can t get a private sector job right now because he hasn t seen a patient in almost a year and could potentially lose his certifications. eric? eric: and, will, who s trying to help the whistleblowers who have these allegations? reporter: well, republican senator ron johnson has really stepped up. he s heard many of the same horror stories we ve been hearing, and he s pushing a bill to further protect whistleblowers. i wish i could say i was shocked. it s disappointing to the point of depressing. but the fact of the matter is what the v.a. health care system is, it s a government-run, bureaucratic, single-payer health care system, and it has inherent bureaucratic problems. reporter: the v.a. declined to talk to us on camera about this story. instead, eric, it offered a statement that says the v.a. does not tolerate any type of retaliation.