Veterans affairs secretary resigns amid investigation

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal’s veterans affairs secretary abruptly resigned Thursday, amid an investigation from the inspector general’s office.

Without explanation, Jindal’s office announced that David LaCerte had left the position he’s held since June 2014, effective immediately.

Robin Keller, a spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, confirmed that the agency had been contacted by the inspector general’s office. She said she doesn’t know what was being investigated.

“I know it’s ongoing, and I know we’re going to cooperate. Meanwhile, we’re just going to continue focusing on the care of our veterans,” she said.

The inspector general’s office didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

Keller said LaCerte offered no explanation to her, simply saying he was resigning immediately.

“Any findings that come out, we will address them,” she said.

The governor has named his office’s chief lawyer, Thomas Enright, to work as interim secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs and to continue as executive counsel for the governor until Jindal’s term ends in mid-January.

A retired veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Enright has worked in the state’s homeland security department and the attorney general’s office. He was deputy secretary of the veterans affairs department from 2008 to 2010.