All Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday demanded Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin respond to the committee chairman’s launching a formal inquiry into his disappearance.
Austin was hospitalized on January 1 stemming from complications from a surgery on December 22 to treat prostate cancer. However, Austin kept his hospitalization secret from President Joe Biden, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks until January 4. He had not told Biden about his prostate cancer diagnosis in early December or about the surgery, either.
The Pentagon has claimed that Austin on January 2 transferred “certain” responsibilities to Hicks — who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time — but has been murky on what those responsibilities were.
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That could mean Hicks was effectively defense secretary without knowing it.
Republicans — and some Democrats — are furious that Austin did not inform even Biden of his hospitalization that left him at least partially incapacitated between January 1 through January 5. The Pentagon said Austin assumed “full duties” on January 5. However, he has remained in the hospital as of January 10.
The Republican members wrote to Austin:
Congress, the public, and even the Biden Administration deserve clear answers about who made the decisions that led to Deputy Secretary Hicks not understanding that she was actually acting as the Secretary of Defense and the White House being unaware of the same.
With conflicts around the world, it is preposterous that you and others in the Department allowed this to occur. This level of confusion surrounding not only your whereabouts, but your capacity to lead the Department has shaken what little confidence existed in any previous commitment to transparency.
They added, “You failed to ensure a smooth transition from your day-to-day management and leadership of the Department by failing to initiate an obvious and immediate transfer of authority to your deputy and disclosure to relevant officials.”
They noted the Pentagon has announced it is investigating what happened, but said, “This hardly passes for an independent investigation.”
The House Armed Services Committee has oversight of the Pentagon for the lower chamber.
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On Tuesday, committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) launched an inquiry into what happened, sending letters to Austin, Hicks, and Austin’s chief of staff Kelly Magsamen asking them to respond “promptly” to a list of questions.
Rogers wrote Austin, “My colleagues and I have grave concerns about the handling of your absence and hospitalization. It is unacceptable that neither the Department of Defense (“Department”), the White House, nor the Congress were accurately informed of your position or capacity. With wars in Ukraine and Israel, the idea that the White House and even your own Deputy did not understand the nature of your condition is patently unacceptable.”
Rogers told Hicks, “It is disconcerting that you were acting in his capacity as Secretary of Defense without fully understanding his condition.”
Rogers wrote Magsamen , who was reportedly told January 2 of Austin’s hospitalization, but did not inform the White House for two days because she had the “flu”:
According to press reports, you ‘said nothing to White House officials, awaiting updates on the secretary’s medical condition,’ and failed to ‘notify the White House until two days later,’ including the National Security Advisor the President of the United States. As you must be aware, this lack of transparency is inexcusable and could have resulted in calamity
Republican members said in their follow-up letter on Thursday that they needed to respond, “as soon as possible.”
“The Committee has transmitted inquiries to yourself, Deputy Secretary Hicks, and Ms. Magsamen regarding your unannounced disappearance and absence from your duties as Secretary of Defense. It is imperative you and other recipients respond as soon as possible,” they said.
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