Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said Friday that if he were President Biden, he would fire Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin over his secret hospitalization and cancer diagnosis.
Moulton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the scandal that Austin failed to promptly notify key Biden administration officials of his hospitalization “totally unacceptable.”
“I can't imagine that happening at the lowest level of a military chain of command. Just like when I was just a lieutenant platoon leader in Iraq, I can't even imagine that happening,” Moulton told the News on Friday. He spoke on The Nation's The Hill. “This is a breakdown in the chain of command. And the commander-in-chief needs to make a decision here.”
“It's up to the president to decide whether to fire Secretary Austin, but let me tell you, he needs to send a definitive message that something like this will never happen again,” Moulton added.
When asked what he would do if he were president, Moulton said it would be an easy decision.
“I would fire him in about five minutes,” Moulton said.
Congressional Democrats have raised questions about Mr. Austin's hospitalization, but have largely refrained from calling for Mr. Austin to be removed as Pentagon chief.
Several Republican lawmakers have called for Austin to resign, accusing him of negligence in failing to properly notify White House and Pentagon officials of his absence.
At least one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Chris Delzio (D-Pennsylvania), who represents a battleground district and is in a close race, has called for Austin to resign.
Austin, who suffers from prostate cancer, learned of his cancer diagnosis in early December and underwent related surgery on December 22nd. Austin did not tell Biden about his cancer diagnosis or hospital visit at the time, and the president only learned he had cancer this year. week.
Austin was also admitted to the intensive care unit with a urinary tract infection on January 1, and had to delegate his authority as head of the Pentagon to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Biden and Hicks did not learn about his hospitalization until January 4.
Austin resumed his duties on January 5th and was released from the intensive care unit. He is recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
The Secretary acknowledged concerns about transparency and promised improvements. Mr. Biden has said he trusts the secretary, but on Friday he called Mr. Austin's failure to notify the secretary an error in judgment.
“I feel terrible for Secretary Austin and his family,” Moulton said, adding that he hopes for a speedy recovery for Secretary Austin.
“But most importantly, the United States will have the necessary national security and our military will have the necessary oversight,” he said. “That's a secretary's job.”
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