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GOP Outraged over Defense Secretary’s ‘Secret’ Hospitalization

Republican officials have expressed anger at the Biden administration's “lack of transparency” at the Pentagon after it was revealed that the government concealed the fact that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized for several days. , serious questions have arisen about maintaining public order during this period.

Republican lawmakers said the Pentagon on Friday night announcement Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (70) was admitted to intensive care four days ago on New Year's Day, suggesting a violation of the public's right to know.

according to statement Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said he was hospitalized following “complications” following “recent elective medical procedures,” but the statement did not provide any details on what procedures were performed or whether any complications occurred. No details were given as to whether the illness occurred.

A statement sent near 6 p.m. ET read:

On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to complications following a recent elective medical procedure. He is recovering well and is scheduled to resume his full duties today. The Deputy Secretary of Defense was always prepared to act on behalf of the Secretary of Defense and exercise his authority as required.

The delay in the Pentagon's announcement about the retired four-star Army general's hospitalization prompted questions about how long Austin will recover and how long it will take, and Republicans condemned the Biden administration's actions.

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama slammed the administration's irresponsibility and said he would not trust a lawmaker with a “potato gun.”

“So, @SECDEF He's in the ICU and the SECDEF lieutenant is relaxing on a beach in Puerto Rico.The Armed Services Committee didn't know, Congress didn't know, the media didn't know, the American people didn't know… and @POTUS I didn’t know,” he wrote.

“Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Hamas, China and Taiwan, Yemen, Iran, North Korea, and an open border between North and South… our country is run by groups with potato guns that I don't trust,” he added. .

In an additional post, he said: claimed He called the Biden administration “pathetic” and said it was “much worse” than he imagined.

“The failure to inform the public that Secretary Austin had been hospitalized for several days — much less the commander-in-chief — is inexcusable and dangerous,” wrote Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.), adding that combatants He questioned whether the commanders and military secretaries were aware of the incident. The person in charge of the new chain of command and liaison with the National Security Council (NSC) regarding threats to U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Walz, who served as a special forces commander in Afghanistan, serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Is it more concerning that the chain of command was literally non-existent for days, or is it that the White House clearly has very little communication with the Pentagon and that the Secretary of Defense was in the middle of two major wars?” I don't know what is more concerning: no one noticed that he was missing, or that he was missing.'' Added.

In a statement responding to the Pentagon's failure to disclose hospitalization status, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told Austin that the Pentagon should “immediately notify President Biden and the National Security Council. “We called for immediate action on the alarming reports that he was hospitalized and unable to carry out his duties.” ”

“The Secretary of Defense is a critical link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the most important decisions must be made within minutes,” he added, adding that if the report proves true If so, he said: He acknowledged that “there must be some effect on this shocking failure.”

“The warning time for nuclear attacks by Russia and China using the latest weapons is 15 minutes. SECDEF is critical to the response,” wrote Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), an Air Force veteran and former military advisor.

“It is a failure of leadership to not inform the WH that SECDEF was in the ICU for three days,” he added. “It needs to be fixed now.”

“SECDEF was in the ICU, the undersecretary was on leave, and the White House didn't know about it for three days. Nuclear command and control is a top defense priority, but it failed here.” . I have written In another post, he called for “transparency and accountability” on the issue.

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, an Air Force veteran and the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, found it “unacceptable” that the Pentagon “deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense's medical condition for several days.” did.

Wicker said the department's failure to follow legal notification procedures for incapacitating national command authorities raises serious questions about transparency and “undermines confidence” in the Biden administration.

“This case further undermines confidence in the Biden administration, which has repeatedly failed to keep the public informed in a timely manner about important events such as the Chinese reconnaissance balloons and the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he said. explained.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) cited concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding Austin's hospitalization, especially during the current “global instability.”

“During this time of global instability, the situational awareness of our nation's top national security decision makers is absolutely essential,” she wrote. “We are concerned that President Biden, the national security staff, and the Congressional Defense Committees were kept in the dark about Secretary Austin's hospitalization.”

“The current administration's lack of transparency is unacceptable,” she added.

“In the midst of a global conflict and grave military threat, this is outrageous and unacceptable,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) wrote. “It is disturbing that the commander-in-chief and the White House were kept in the dark about the Secretary of Defense's illness and hospitalization.”

“Sec. Austin's failure to inform the President of his hospitalization is a dereliction of duty worthy of dismissal from his post as Secretary of Defense,” wrote Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford.
(R). “The fact that so few had situational awareness is a slap in the face to the American people and our allies around the world.”

“Unacceptable and dangerous,” he wrote. US Navy Veteran Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida). “@SecDef He is a key member of the U.S. national security team and plays a key role in the most sensitive military and nuclear protocols. ”

“Second. Austin must immediately come to the SASC and explain why this happened and who helped keep this away from our nation's leaders,” he added. .

“@POTUS We did not learn that the Secretary of Defense had been hospitalized until four days later. That's how safe America is right now,” lamented Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.).

The US military is currently involved in several crises overseas. It supports Israel against the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas, seeks to thwart Iranian-backed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and provides advice and support to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia.

The last update from the Pentagon on Austin's activities was released on Dec. 30, after Austin had a call with the Dutch defense minister.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joshua Klein.

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