An insider within the Department of Veterans Affairs told O’Keefe Media Group, referencing an internal memorandum that calls for medical personnel in preparation for the 2025 Presidential Inauguration.
The memo details an appeal from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) for critical medical personnel, including paramedics, registered nurses with emergency expertise, and licensed medical practitioners specializing in emergency medicine. The request was signed by Derrick Jaastad and dated December 10, 2024.
James O’Keefe posed the critical question: “Why is this specific Presidential Inauguration generating a request for such a significant deployment of medical personnel? Does HHS have information about a potential event or risk?”
When questioned by James O’Keefe about if it was typical for the Office of Emergency Management to administer this kind of memorandum for previous inaugurations, Derrick Jaastad, the Executive Director for the VHA Office of Emergency Management, said, “I was not with the organization, so I can’t speak to that.
Kurt M. Rauschenberg, Public Affairs Specialist, echoed a similar sentiment, stating, “I personally can’t speak to previous inaugurations.”
Despite a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services for clarification, no response has been provided. This silence from HHS has fueled further speculation and concern, with many questioning whether there are undisclosed risks associated with the 2025 inauguration.