Patricia Driscoll: Time for a vacation

The last tweet on Patricia Driscoll’s personal Twitter account was posted on July 14, one day before she resigned from her position as head of the Armed Forces Foundation is the wake of reports that she misused funds from the wounded veteran’s charity.

It said: “This summer I promised myself 2 things: 2 long vacations w/my son and finish the book I've started writing a few months ago. It’s good,” ending with a thumbs-up emoticon.

Other than a prepared statement that confirmed her resignation, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch’s former girlfriend, who accused Busch in court of trying to strangle her during a heated argument in his motorhome at the Dover, Delaware racetrack last year, has had no public statement following her resignation.

Others have made statements, though, and plenty of them. On the Armed Forces Foundation Facebook page, her critics, who are often Busch fans, are using the site to direct comments to her and at her.

Such as: “You owe Kurt Busch an apology!! He got treated like crap because she lied. Now she is a proven liar and thief!!”

And, “This foundation should have kept a closer eye on Patricia Driscoll. I just hope now your foundation will press charges against her, and make her serve time in jail and then pay back all the money that was stolen.”

Or, “Glad Patricia has resigned!!”

No comment

Driscoll has had nothing to say. The Associated Press said she “hung up on a reporter” who called her for comment, and did not respond to emails.

The initial announcement of the resignation on the organization’s website was terse and general, as was Driscoll’s statement. From the board of directors: “We are appreciative of Patricia’s 12 years of service to our armed forces, veterans, and their families. During her tenure the Armed Forces Foundation programs expanded and we were able to provide more assistance to those in need, including vital resources to pay rent, buy food, or afford other necessities while a military member recovered from his or her injuries. The Armed Forces Foundation also helped many military families through school counseling programs and education initiatives like Operation Caring Classroom.”

Her statement: “I am proud of what we achieved during my time at the Armed Forces Foundation. Especially as it pertains to PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and TBI [traumatic brain injury], the Foundation is saving lives by creating awareness and helping veterans find the services they need before taking tragic and drastic steps such as suicide. Foundation programs allow wounded services members and their families an opportunity to enjoy time away from a hospital to help in the healing in the process. Seeing the wounded service members and their families enjoying a day together during a very difficult time was a tremendous inspiration to me in my work. The military members and veterans of this Country are the true heroes to us all.”

ESPN expose

Driscoll’s carefully constructed reputation took its hardest hit after ESPN published online an exhaustive expose that accused her of using the AFF’s coffers as her personal bank account, funding trips and purchases for herself, her son and for Busch himself while they were together. That May 22 report, ESPN says, led to investigations by the FBI and IRS. Her fans suggested it was a vendetta orchestrated by NASCAR and Busch, but she has failed to counter the claims in a public setting.
So now, three days after her resignation, no word from Driscoll, except for that last tweet.

Or maybe that’s the last word: Vacation, and finish the book she’s been writing.

Likely she, and we, will have to wait a long time for the ending.