WASHINGTON – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers has demanded that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin appear before Congress next month to explain his top-secret hospitalization earlier this month.
For three days, Austin kept the Pentagon and the White House in the dark about his condition following complications from a prostatectomy, drawing criticism from Republicans and Democrats.
In a letter Thursday, Rogers (R-Ala.) said he spoke with Austin after the scandal broke and noted that the Pentagon chief “promised full transparency on questions about the secrecy of your recent hospitalization.”
“Although you answered some of my questions that I had for you, some related questions were not addressed,” the lawmaker added. “Specifically, I’m concerned that you refuse to answer whether you instructed your staff not to inform the President of the United States or anyone else of your hospitalization.”
“Unfortunately, this leads me to believe that information is being withheld from Congress,” he added.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) (second from left) opened the meeting. Rod Lamkey – CNP / MEGA
The allegations come after a recording of a 911 call requesting an ambulance to Austin’s home in Virginia on the evening of January 1, released through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this week, revealed the secretary intended to keep her health emergency quiet from the start. .
“Can I ask – can the ambulance not appear with lights and sirens?” a staff member told the dispatcher in the recording, first obtained by the Daily Beast, adding: “Um, we’re trying to stay a little subtle.”
So “subtle” were they that Austin didn’t tell his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, about his hospitalization when he transferred his secretarial powers to her from the hospital. It wasn’t until Jan. 4 — three days after he took office — that Hicks, the White House and the rest of the Pentagon knew why he did it.
Austin returned to work virtually from Walter Reed on Jan. 5, advising the president on important defense matters — including airstrikes on Houthi terrorists in Yemen — from his hospital bed. He was not released until Monday, and is working from home until he is well enough to return to the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin REUTERS
“This is a time of great global instability. Our country deserves credible leadership in that department,” Rogers wrote. “Maintaining the most ready and lethal force that may require everyone in the national security community can depend on the availability and transparency of the secretary of defense.”
“Unfortunately, you have not exhibited these qualities throughout this recent string of events,” he added.
Although Austin has long been a very private person, lawmakers have said he waived his right to keep his health a secret when he accepted a cabinet post.
“Congress must understand what happened and who made the decision to prevent disclosure of the whereabouts of cabinet secretaries,” Rogers wrote Austin in the letter. “Your refusal to provide an honest and complete answer requires a full committee hearing on February 14, 2024.”
Despite the troubling lack of transparency, President Biden has so far vowed to keep Austin in his position as secretary of defense.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers Rod Lamkey – CNP / MEGA
It remains unclear whether Austin will comply with Rogers’ request, as the letter was only an “invitation” and not a subpoena. Until then, Rogers asked him to answer any outstanding questions that have so far been ignored.
Some of the questions include an accounting of any other times Austin has transferred his authority due to health issues, whether Hicks was given “how long a timeline” she was required to assume Austin’s responsibilities, and if she knew the president was unconscious. that Austin is in the hospital.
Rogers also asked the 70-year-old Austin to surrender “all orders … to inform or not to inform any other person” of his hospitalization; a list of “all official actions taken or approved” by him from the hospital; and all communications about his health and whereabouts with Defense Department and White House personnel.
“In the meantime, I look forward to your prompt response to all outstanding questions so that the committee can review the necessary information in preparation for the upcoming hearing,” Rogers wrote. “I expect your honesty and full cooperation in this matter.
“Anything less than that is completely unacceptable.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
