Pentagon chief out of hospital but still in GOP crosshairs

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has returned home after weeks in the hospital, but remains at odds with lawmakers and a Republican-led inquiry into why he and those around him kept his illness and treatment secret. has just begun.

Lawmakers from both the House and Senate detailed the decision to keep Austin's diagnosis secret, even when he is in intensive care, as he recovers from an infection from surgery to treat prostate cancer in December. requested that it be made public.

But defense officials have so far been evasive about why Austin's aides have kept President Biden and others in the dark, defying Republican requests for face-to-face meetings and public hearings with the Pentagon chief. There is.

Due to the lack of information, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Thursday publicly called on Austin to testify next month about his “decision to withhold information from the President, Congress, and the American people.” Ta.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 9: Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) leaves the House Republican Management Committee meeting during a break on January 9, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The House Republican Steering Committee, made up of about 30 members from various parts of the country, held a meeting to elect committee chairs for the 118th Congress. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Rogers said earlier this month that he launched a formal investigation into why Austin kept his hospitalization private, but that he had been promised answers during his last phone call with the Pentagon chief. He has since expressed disappointment in the response, according to a letter sent to Austin on Thursday.

“The last time you and I spoke, you promised full transparency,” Rogers wrote. “You answered some of my questions, but quite a few were left unaddressed.”

Austin, along with Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian official, answered several questions posed by Rogers in a Jan. 9 letter to all three. Ta.

In Austin's response, obtained by The Hill, he stressed that at no point during his time at Walter Reed was there “any gap in authority or risk of command and control.”

“Both the Deputy Secretary of Defense and I were always ready to support the President as Commander-in-Chief during his care at Walter Reed,” Austin wrote.

He also revealed much of what has already been made public, including the general timeline of events before and after his hospitalization, and when specific players were notified of his condition.

“As I have previously stated, I take full responsibility for my personal decision regarding disclosing my cancer diagnosis,” he wrote. “While health issues, especially potentially serious illnesses such as cancer, are deeply personal, I recognize that the position I hold requires a greater level of transparency.”

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Rogers instructed his staff not to inform Biden or anyone else that Austin had been in severe pain and had been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, since January 1. He said he felt uneasy because he refused to answer whether he had done so. He was transported peacefully by ambulance from his home in Virginia.

The incident has been shrouded in secrecy for several days, with Austin's entourage “trying to be a little low profile” and “showing up with lights and sirens blaring” to an ambulance, according to a 911 call first reported by the Daily. “I hope you don't do that,” he reportedly requested. beast.

The White House and Hicks were not notified of the hospitalization until January 4. Lawmakers, on the other hand, were not informed until shortly before the Pentagon announced it on January 5th.

A few days later, on January 9, Austin revealed that his illness was an infection resulting from surgery on December 22 to treat prostate cancer, which was discovered during a medical examination in early December. This diagnosis is also carried out by the White House. Until that morning he knew nothing.

The fiasco prompted an internal 30-day review of the Pentagon's policies and procedures for how officials are notified of transfers of power, an investigation by the Pentagon Inspector General, and a White House review of its policies and procedures for how Cabinet officials are delegated powers. A review was triggered.

Austin was discharged from the hospital on Monday, 15 days after he was first taken to the hospital. He acknowledged that he “could have done better if we had properly informed the public” about his illness, but has not yet given a concrete answer as to why he did not do so in the first place.

“Unfortunately, this makes me think that information is being withheld from Congress,” Rogers said. “Parliament needs to understand what happened and who took the decision to prevent the release of ministers' whereabouts.”

Mr. Rogers also called on Mr. Austin to testify at a full hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on February 14, given the Pentagon chief's “reluctance to give candid and complete answers.”

Mr. Austin has not yet committed to appearing at the hearing, according to a congressional aide.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement that the department had received Rogers' request but had nothing further to offer.

The Department of Defense told the committee on Wednesday that it is aware that a 30-day internal review is underway and that the Department of Defense Inspector General is conducting its own review, and that the committee is aware that a 30-day internal review is underway and that the Department of Defense Inspector General is conducting its own review and that “I submitted three letters in a good faith effort,” Ryder said.

“As we have always done, we will respond to requests from Congress, including requests for testimony from the Secretary of State,” he added.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has not yet called for a formal hearing, but Republicans on the committee, along with ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), have requested a meeting with the Secretary of Defense, and members They are asking for an explanation “immediately.”

In a joint letter, Mr. Wicker, along with Chairman Jack Reed (D.R.I.), who was the only member of Congress to meet with Mr. Austin over the weekend after it was revealed that he was hospitalized, requested information about the incident. .

A Pentagon spokesperson told The Hill on Friday that the agency responded to the letter on Wednesday, but that Senate aides were not aware of the response.

Additionally, several Republicans and one Democrat are calling for Austin to resign.

Administration officials said Mr. Austin has no plans to resign and Mr. Biden will not ask him to resign.

Since being discharged from the hospital, Austin has continued to work from home. He retains full authority and participates in Pentagon meetings by phone and video, but officials have not said when he will return to the Pentagon building.