Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's secret hospital visit has sparked mounting criticism on Capitol Hill and calls for his resignation from Republican officials, including former President Trump.
Austin, 70, who remains hospitalized after checking in on January 1, took responsibility for not making his visit public and acknowledged concerns about transparency. But the Pentagon remains in the dark about the elective medical procedure that led to Mr. Austin's recent hospitalization, or why there was such a wide gap between Mr. Austin's admission and when key officials were notified. No information provided.
Republicans and Democrats alike are now demanding answers as to why President Biden and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, No. 2 at the Pentagon, were not informed of the hospitalization until three days after checking in.
Although they were not made aware until shortly before the Pentagon issued an official statement around 5 p.m. Friday, members of Congress said the United States supported two wars in Ukraine and Gaza and attacked U.S. forces in the Gaza Strip. He said the failure to notify was concerning, given that middle east.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the China Select Committee, said, “At a time when U.S. forces are under active attack in the Middle East, resulting in deaths, the president and the National Security Council are I didn't even know who was who.” He may or may not have been in command of the Pentagon. ”
“This is irresponsible and calls into question the fundamental competency of the Biden administration,” Gallagher said in a statement. “The American people have a right to know why the commander in chief was not informed of the Secretary of Defense's incapacity.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (DR.I.), the only lawmaker with whom Mr. Austin spoke personally on Sunday's call, also expressed concern that important chain of command and notification procedures were not being followed. He said he is doing so.
“While he has taken responsibility for the situation, this is a serious incident that requires transparency and accountability from the department,” Reed said in a statement.
The White House is also outraged by the secrecy surrounding the hospitalization. But on Monday, the general said he maintains confidence in Austin and is not considering firing him.
“We're going to take a look at our processes and procedures here and try to learn from this experience. If we need to make any changes to our processes and procedures, we'll make them,” White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby said. ” he said. .
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Monday that neither Mr. Austin nor his staff plan to resign.
But that's not enough for some Republicans. Some have criticized Mr. Austin's secrecy as a dereliction of his duties and say he should resign or be fired.
President Trump said in a social media post that Austin “must be terminated immediately for his professional misconduct and dereliction of duty.”
“He's been missing for a week, and no one, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue where he was or might be,” Trump said.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican Conference, said Austin's absence undermines trust in the chain of command at a tense time for the world.
“There must be full accountability, starting with the immediate resignation of Secretary Austin and those who lied on his behalf, and a Congressional investigation into this dangerous dereliction of duty,” Stefanik said in a statement Monday. Stated.
Ryder said Monday that he was unable to attend the Pentagon due to delays in notifying key officials, including Austin's chief of staff, a sparse office due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, and being out with the flu. defended.
“We are currently looking at how we can improve these notification procedures, including notifying the White House and Congress,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.
Richard Cohn, a civil-military researcher and professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, said Mr. Austin, who values privacy, likely considered the matter trivial and wanted to keep the situation secret.
“It was a simple mistake not to alert the White House in some way, but you have to think he must have had very personal reasons for that,” Cohn said.
But Cohn said the “unusual” decision would require explanation.
“At least the White House and the president will have to explain this anomaly. It's not going away,” he said. “And elsewhere, governments will… take away the lesson that bad news doesn't get better with age.”
“The biggest lesson in this case is to keep your boss informed,” he added.
Austin first visited the hospital on Dec. 22 for an elective medical procedure that the Department of Defense has not yet identified. He checked out the next day.
Ryder said defense officials did not disclose the initial steps to the White House.
On January 1st, Austin was returned to the hospital by ambulance from his home with a personal security detail after experiencing “severe pain”. Ryder said Austin was “conscious but in a lot of pain” and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Ryder did not say whether Austin lost consciousness after being admitted to the hospital.
Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time of Austin's hospitalization, took over certain duties overseeing the Pentagon on the afternoon of January 2, but it was not until January 4, when he became the chief secretary, that Austin was hospitalized. I didn't know until an aide told me.
Hicks was preparing to return to Washington, D.C., but canceled her flight home after receiving word that Austin was recovering and would soon be able to return to full duty, according to the Pentagon.
As of Monday, Austin remained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was “recovering well and doing well,” Ryder said.
It added that he is not currently in intensive care and is recuperating in a more private area of the hospital as his “prognosis is good, although he continues to experience discomfort.”
Mr. Austin resumed full duty on Friday, the same day the Pentagon issued a public statement about his condition and alerted Congress to his hospitalization.
The Pentagon Press Association, a group representing journalists who cover the Pentagon, said issuing a statement four days after Austin was first hospitalized was “unconscionable” and that “when a senior official is under investigation, “This falls far below the standard disclosure standards used by other federal departments.” If you are unable to receive medical attention or are temporarily incapacitated. ”
“The public has a right to know when U.S. ministers are hospitalized, under anesthesia, and when their duties are delegated as a result of medical procedures,” the group said in a letter Friday. “That's the practice all the way down to the presidential level. Secretary Austin, the head of defense, has no right to claim privacy in this situation.”
Ryder said he did not learn about Austin's hospitalization until the afternoon of Jan. 2, apologized for the delay in issuing a statement, and said he was “personally working” to ensure the Pentagon does a better job of notifying the public. ” he said.
“I recognize that I should have learned more and tried to get public recognition sooner,” he said, noting that he was scheduled to meet with the Pentagon Press Association later Monday.
Still, Congress wants clear answers about what happened, including what complications the secretary experienced, and further disclosure about why the secretary did not promptly notify the chain of command. There is.
The top Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee called for answers to these questions “as soon as possible.” Sunday's statement.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the failure to notify “unacceptable.”
Wicker also said the incident comes on top of delays in providing information to the public and Congress about last year's Chinese reconnaissance balloons and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“We are learning more by the hour about the department's shocking violations of the law,” Wicker said in the paper. statement. “Unfortunately, there are now more questions than answers.”
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
