For days Republicans have been calling for the resignation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after he failed to inform President Joe Biden of a stint in the intensive care unit. He also failed to tell Biden about a prostate cancer diagnosis, which he had secret surgery to mitigate on December 22. A subsequent infection landed Austin back in the ICU last week, which nobody in the White House knew about for days.
As the chief advocate in Congress for @drum10thmtn I find Secretary of Defense Austin’s lack of transparency to be totally unacceptable. He should resign immediately.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) January 10, 2024
Our adversaries around the world are watching and all they see from Joe Biden and his Administration is weakness… pic.twitter.com/boXqTz0CGp
I wish Secretary Austin the best on his recovery but any commanding officer in the military would have been relieved for disappearing for a week, not delegating to their deputy, and breaking the chain of command. https://t.co/ke1nNFpcHp
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 9, 2024
While our servicemembers are under attack from Iran-backed terrorists, our Sec Def went missing in action.
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) January 10, 2024
No one notified Congress — in violation of the law.
Oversight is here. Accountability is coming👇 pic.twitter.com/JWYxuZJk7O
The former spokesperson for U.S. Central Command agrees.
Former U.S. Central Command spokesman: https://t.co/76iy0H3csP
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) January 9, 2024
While Democrats have criticized Austin for the lack of transparency, they've stopped short of calling for him to leave his position. Today, that changed.
I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command.
— Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) January 10, 2024
I thank Secretary Austin for his leadership and years of dedicated service to the American people and wish him a speedy recovery.
— Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) January 10, 2024
Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio is an Iraq War veteran.
