Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana will introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “for high crimes and misdemeanors” Tuesday afternoon when the House meets.
In addition to failing to inform the White House of his hospitalization earlier this month, Rosendale also pointed to the Chinese spy balloon incident and botched Afghanistan withdrawal as examples of how he “violated his oath of office” and “jeopardized the lives of the American people.”
“Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs - and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens,” Rosendale said in a statement. “Moreover, recent reports show that Sec. Austin lied about the balloon repeatedly, putting the American people in danger.
“This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week,” he continued.
“Furthermore, the Secretary failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States – including allowing an unvetted migrant to rape a young woman in Missoula,” the lawmaker argued.
"Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people."
Read my statement below ⬇️ https://t.co/Sq2r9u1nDR
— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) January 8, 2024
The move by Rosendale comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been critical of Austin's medical secrecy, with many calling on him to resign or be terminated, which is not going to happen.
White House official: @POTUS is not considering firing Defense Secretary Austin
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) January 8, 2024
