U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is demanding that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin resign after he was admitted to the ICU at Walter Reed Medical Center and failed to notify the White House about his hospitalization.
Lloyd originally had an “elective procedure” performed on December 22, 2023; however, he was admitted back into the hospital on January 1 after experiencing “severe pain.” Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was not informed in advance of Austin’s hospitalization and was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time. The White House was also not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until January 4.
In a statement over the weekend, Austin said, “I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
Despite Austin’s statement, Vance called on the secretary of defense to resign or be fired over the incident.
“I can’t imagine another time in the history of our government run by Democrats or Republicans where you have a major cabinet official who’s just gone missing…There are so many problems here, so many unanswered questions,” Vance said while appearing on Fox Business.
“He should resign. This is disgraceful. If you lose the Secretary of Defense for days, it suggests that the engine is running, but nobody’s behind the wheel. That is the story of the Biden administration at a time of extraordinary chaos for the United States all across the world. It’s a big, big problem,” Vance added.
Vance isn’t the only Republican calling for Austin’s resignation, as Montana U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT-02) announced his plans to file articles of impeachment against the defense secretary this week.
Meanwhile, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Monday that there are no plans for consequences against Austin for his lack of transparency and communication regarding his hospitalization.
“Our main focus right now is on Secretary Austin’s health and making sure that he gets all the care and support that he needs to fully recover,” Kirby told reporters. “The President’s number one focus is on his health and recovery…There is no plan or anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue in the leadership that he’s been demonstrating.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “JD Vance on Fox Business” by JD Vance.
