It’s always refreshing to see a Republican who isn’t afraid to call out the media’s nonsense in real-time, and that’s exactly what happened when Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins confronted freelance reporter Patricia Kime during a recent interview. Instead of the usual, carefully scripted back-and-forth, Collins took Kime to task over her latest article, which leaned on “rumors” and Democratic talking points to paint his department as reckless and dangerous to veterans.
Collins, an Air Force veteran and former congressman, wasn’t about to let her off the hook. Right in the middle of their interview, he pulled out a printed copy of her article and pointed out exactly where she had used speculation to push a left-wing narrative. “I need your help, because all I seem to be doing lately is fighting back against innuendo and rumor stories… in fact, Patricia, part of it is with you,” he said, highlighting how these kinds of stories sow unnecessary fear among veterans.
The article in question revolved around claims that representatives from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—led by none other than Elon Musk—had “barged” into VA offices and accessed private records. Kime based this allegation on comments from Democratic Senator Patty Murray, who, shocker, has a history of attacking anything Trump-related. Murray’s statement was filled with dramatic, baseless accusations, warning that Musk’s team was “illegally data mining” and could be putting veterans at risk.
So what was Kime’s smoking gun? Well, she didn’t have one. Her second paragraph literally started with, “Rumors began circulating…”—which is about as journalistically solid as saying, “Some people are saying…” Collins wasn’t having it. He pointed out that her report failed to mention a key fact: the so-called “DOGE representative” who visited the VA was actually a VA employee. In other words, the entire premise of the story was built on Democratic speculation, not facts.
VA SCRETARY SLAPS DOWN FAKE NEWS REPORTER TO HER FACE
Patricia Kime writes questionable pieces for bootlicker media to damage Trump. Doug Collins has had enough and calls her out.pic.twitter.com/eacasyWRTz
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 12, 2025
To her credit, Kime actually admitted Collins had a point. When he suggested she should have framed the claim as an “unconfirmed report” rather than pushing it as a full-blown scandal, she responded, “That’s fair,” and even agreed to work more fairly with Collins going forward. That’s about as close to an on-air media correction as you’re going to get.
Of course, this is all part of a bigger fight. The establishment in Washington is desperate to undercut Musk’s cost-cutting measures at the VA, and the left-wing media is more than happy to assist. President Trump has already signaled that while he supports rooting out waste, Musk’s more aggressive cuts may be scaled back. But in the meantime, Collins is making one thing clear: he won’t let the media’s misinformation campaign go unchallenged.