Nicholson angry over delay in revealing theft

WASHINGTON (AP) Under intense bipartisan fire from Capitol Hill, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said Wednesday he was outraged by his agency's decision to keep the theft of veterans' personal data quiet for two weeks.

"I will not tolerate inaction and poor judgment when it comes to protecting our veterans," said Nicholson, declaring that he initially left it to VA investigators rather than calling the FBI.

"I am outraged at the loss of this veterans' data and the fact an employee would put it at risk by taking it home in violation of our policies," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Upon notification, my first priority was to take all actions necessary to protect veterans from harm."

He said he had asked the department's inspector general to expedite an investigation to determine who was responsible for the time delay in revealing the burglary.

Nicholson's remarks come amid growing outrage from lawmakers over the May 3 theft, which involved the birthdates and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans. The VA employee had taken the information home without authorization.

On Wednesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy said President Bush should call Nicholson "into the woodshed" because of the theft of personal data involving some 26.5 million veterans. Citing past budget problems at the VA, Leahy said Nicholson should consider resigning.

"It all adds up to a heckuva bad job for America's veterans," said Leahy, D-Vt. "The President should call Secretary Nicholson into the woodshed for a serious shake-up in how the VA is run."

Burglars on May 3 took the government-owned laptop and disks from the VA employee's suburban Maryland home. The equipment contained information mainly on veterans discharged since 1975.

But the FBI was not notified until late last week, two law enforcement officials said Tuesday, a move that delayed a warning to veterans now at risk in one of the nation's largest security breaches.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Committee on Veterans Affairs said they would hold a joint emergency hearing Thursday and call Nicholson to testify. "Twenty-six million people deserve answers," said Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, chair of the VA panel.