Republicans are demanding answers from the Department of Defense after learning about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization that was kept hidden for days.
GOP lawmakers are calling on Austin to testify or even be ousted from his position over reports that the Pentagon waited several days to inform top officials that the Biden staffer was in the hospital.
Late Friday, the Pentagon announced that Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center beginning Monday and finally returning to his duties on Friday. According to reports, the White House was unaware of Austin's condition.
Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), called the lack of transparency from the department "unacceptable."
"We are learning more every hour about the Department's shocking defiance of the law. When one of the country's two National Command Authorities is unable to perform their duties, military families, Members of Congress, and the American public deserve to know the full extent of the circumstances. This episode further erodes trust in the Biden Administration, which has repeatedly failed to inform the public in a timely fashion about critical events such as the Chinese spy balloon and the withdrawal from Afghanistan," Wicker said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) demanded immediate consequences, given that Austin was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties for an extended period without anyone being notified.
"Secretary Austin must address promptly the troubling report that the Department of Defense didn't immediately notify President Biden or the National Security Council that he was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties," Cotton said. "The Secretary of Defense is the key link in the chain of command between the President and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the weightiest decisions must be made in minutes. If this report is true, there must be consequences for this shocking breakdown."
In addition, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said that the country's number 1 defense priority failed the nation.
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said that Austin was hospitalized on Jan. 1 for "complications following a recent elective medical procedure." Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was reportedly ready to step in and exercise the powers of the Secretary if needed.
However, Hicks was reportedly on vacation in Puerto Rico during this time.
"Very concerning. Sounds like the President didn't even know about it," Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a House Armed Services Committee member, told Axios. "Austin has been a disaster since Day One and should be replaced by someone who will focus on making the military ready to fight and win wars instead of advancing woke political causes of the Biden admin. Enough is enough."
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