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Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III appeared before the Congressional Disciplinary Committee on Thursday, continuing a series of accusations that he failed to tell his superiors last month that he was hospitalized due to complications from surgery for prostate cancer.
Republican lawmakers were preparing to pursue Mr. Austin before the hearing, calling former Pentagon officials for advice. Even the official title of the hearing, posted on the House Armed Services Committee’s website, gives off an ominous tone: “Review of Secretary of Defense Austin’s Unannounced Absence.”
Mr. Austin tried to preempt the expected rebuke by again apologizing for keeping his admission to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center a secret.
“While I was at Walter Reed in January, the notifications were not working – sharing my location and the reason I was there,” he told a packed hearing room. Told. “And back in December, I should have immediately informed the President, my team, Congress, and the American people about my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.”
He added, “I take full responsibility.”
On Monday, the Pentagon released an unclassified version of its review of how Pentagon officials, including Austin, responded to his hospitalization. There was little, if any, criticism of this document, and no one blamed him for not disclosing his illness.
Lawmakers were excited even before the hearing began. “A review of Secretary Austin’s actions will be conducted by his own subordinates and will be held subject to his approval,” Rep. Mike D. Rogers, R-Alabama and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said on social media. I used capital letters to make my point. No one is responsible. ”
In his opening statement Thursday, Rogers said the chain of command “doesn’t work” if the president doesn’t know who to call.
“It is completely unacceptable that it took three days to tell the President of the United States that the Secretary of Defense is hospitalized and no longer under the command of the Department of Defense,” Rogers said at the beginning of the hearing. “Wars were raging in Ukraine and Israel, our ships were being shelled in the Red Sea, and our bases were preparing for attacks in Syria and Iraq. There wasn’t.”
“Someone needs to be held accountable,” Rogers added.
On the other side of the Capitol, senators from both parties expressed frustration Tuesday after receiving a classified briefing on the Pentagon review.
“There remain very strong and tough questions at the Pentagon about how this apparent cover-up was handled. There needs to be public accountability,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, told reporters. I think so.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (Mississippi), the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement: “The department has yet to account for its failure to comply with federal law, and the arrest of the director is a matter of concern to Congress and White House.” “We remain concerned that the House has not been notified.” I became helpless. ”
Wicker added: “It’s clear that many members of the committee left the meeting feeling frustrated by the unanswered questions.”
Mr. Austin underwent an elective medical procedure at Walter Reed Hospital on December 22nd. He did not tell the White House or senior government officials that he would undergo surgery for a diagnosis he later described as a “punch in the gut.”
He was released before Christmas but returned on New Year’s Day with complications and spent two weeks in intensive care.
Mr. Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, did not inform the White House that her boss was hospitalized until three days later. The unusual breach of protocol comes as Mr. Austin is responsible for the country’s 1.4 million active-duty military personnel at a time when wars in Gaza and Ukraine are dominating the U.S. national security landscape. This confused officials.
Mr. Austin attempted to defend himself in early February, telling reporters at the Pentagon, “I did not handle this properly.”
“I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis,” he said. “I should have told my team and the American people. I take full responsibility.”
Mr. Austin also said he never instructed his staff not to inform the White House about his hospitalization.
The defense secretary has long been known as a very private and media-shy person.
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