- Mark Berry isn’t telling the truth about using his position of power to get a VA nurse fired.
- Bullying subordinates is par for the course for Berry, sources say.
- How do we know he’s lying? We have the receipts. Read on.
We know that Mark Berry, the Republican candidate for AR House District 82, is lying about an incident that left a well-liked nurse at the Ozark VA clinic without the job she held for 10 years. But why isn’t Berry telling the truth?
Earlier this year Michelle Garrison came forward to share her story about an early morning encounter with Berry that quickly went sideways. She recounts the incident in this video.
Before sharing Garrison’s story, we spoke with multiple sources who know or have worked with Berry. While none of them was there to witness the incident in question, all said that bullying and throwing his weight around are typical behaviors for Berry. Using his rank as retired Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard to retaliate against a VA nurse who caught him in a bad mood seemed on brand for Berry, these sources said.
It’s not surprising that Berry would dispute Garrison’s story, a story that paints him as a bully who didn’t hesitate to use his influence to ruin someone’s career. What is surprising, though, is that Berry would claim he “didn’t file a complaint!”
Berry’s claim is surprising because it’s so clearly untrue. Mark Berry is lying. In fact, here is his own statement/complaint that he submitted to the VA. In this written complaint he also talks about making a verbal complaint.
This was an unforced error. We can’t make much sense of it. Maybe Berry will address it at his debate with opponent Gwen Faulkenberry on Oct. 13.
