Inside Politics: Dick Armey parts ways with FreedomWorks

Mother Jones magazine reported Monday night that former House Majority Leader Dick Armey was cutting all ties with FreedomWorks, the tea party-affiliated group the Texan had helped found.

Mr. Armey “tendered his resignation in an memo sent to Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, on November 30. Mother Jones obtained the email on Monday, and Armey has confirmed he sent it.

The tone of the memo suggests that this was not an amicable separation,” the liberal magazine wrote.

In an interview with Mother Jones, Mr. Armey parried questions about whether the separation, which was not publicly announced, was amicable.

“The top management team of FreedomWorks was taking a direction I thought was unproductive, and I thought it was time to move on with my life,” Mr. Armey said. “At this point, I don’t want to get into the details. I just want to go on with my life.”

Still, the letter, which the liberal magazine posted in its entirety, makes demands for disassociation more thorough than usual for an amicable parting, including that Mr. Armey’s name, image, or signature be removed “from all its letters, print media, postings, websites, videos, testimonials, endorsements, fundraising materials, and social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter.”

Mr. Armey also asked that FreedomWorks return a copy of his official congressional portrait.

VETERANS AFFAIRS

Vietnam vets group joins suit over PTSD discharges

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The military has failed to correct the wrongful discharges of thousands of Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, an advocacy group says in a federal lawsuit.

Vietnam Veterans of America on Monday joined a proposed class-action lawsuit in Hartford, Conn., against the Army, Navy and Air Force. The lawsuit, filed last year by a veteran, says the Vietnam veterans suffered PTSD before it was recognized and were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions that made them ineligible for disability compensation and other benefits.

The lawsuit says the military has refused to review or upgrade the discharge statuses of thousands of Vietnam War-era veterans with service-related PTSD.

The U.S. attorney’s office, which is representing the military in the lawsuit, said it is reviewing the matter and will respond in court.

NEW YORK

Romney back on board of Marriott International

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