Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not inform the White House about his recent hospitalization, but President Joe Biden (D) is not considering firing him, Politico reported on Monday.
outlet quoted A group of government officials. If Austin were to tender his resignation, Biden would likely veto it, the people said.
“Austin isn't going anywhere,” one official told Politico. The report noted that Republicans are calling on Biden to fire his secretary of defense.
In a recent interview, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) Said FOX News: “Apparently the National Security Council, the White House, and Congress didn't know.''
“We're in a period of a lot of turmoil internationally, and all of a sudden we have a secretary of defense sending out false information saying, 'I'm working from home,' when he's not actually out. It's more than a question of whether it's actually available at all,'' Lankford added.
According to a Politico article, Austin has been criticized for not telling officials that he was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications from an undisclosed surgery.
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Austin to be fired over the delay in announcing Biden's hospitalization, according to Breitbart News.
His statement was:
Ousted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for professional misconduct and dereliction of duty, he has been missing for a week, but no one, including his boss Crooked Joe Biden had no clue where he was or might be. . His performance was poor and he should have been removed long ago along with “General” Mark Milley for a variety of reasons, but especially his disastrous surrender in Afghanistan, which was probably the most embarrassing moment in our nation's history!
Breitbart News reported Sunday that Austin had been in the hospital's intensive care unit for several days.
The paper said the failure to communicate occurred “as military conflicts between the U.S. military and Iranian-backed proxies escalate in the Middle East, threatening to spiral into a broader crisis.”
Breitbart News reported Monday that Biden was also on vacation at the same time that Austin was hospitalized.
You're kidding. https://t.co/SfmuuocczI
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 8, 2024
However, Biden and Austin appear to have had a phone conversation on Saturday.
According to Politico, the president said he looks forward to seeing the defense secretary return to work in the near future.
