House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers requested the appearance of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to clarify his failure to notify the White House of his prolonged absence due to hospitalization. In a letter sent to the defense secretary, Rogers points out that his "unwillingness to provide candid and complete answers necessitates calling a Full Committee hearing on February 14, 2024, where the Committee expects to hear your direct testimony regarding decisions made to withhold information from the President, Congress, and the American people."
Chairman @RepMikeRogersAL sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, requesting that he testify before the House Armed Services Committee on his failure to disclose his hospitalization.https://t.co/ZHBXL5kud8 pic.twitter.com/eUdFR3C2a1
— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) January 18, 2024
Rogers questions whether Austin was hiding information from Congress
Rogers harshly criticized Austin's attitude at "this time of immense global instability." He said it is also a time when "our country deserves reliable leadership at the Department. Maintaining the most ready and lethal force possible requires that everyone in the national security community be able to rely upon the Secretary of Defense’s availability and transparency. Regrettably, you have not exhibited these attributes throughout this most recent string of events."
Rogers also accused Austin of going as far as to hide information from the president himself, which "leads me to believe that information is being withheld from Congress. Congress must understand what happened and who made decisions to prevent the disclosure of the whereabouts of a cabinet secretary." The committee chairman demanded that the secretary "promptly respond to all outstanding questions" before the date cited for the hearing.
Who decided to hide the secretary of defense's whereabouts?
The Republican representative highlighted that the most alarming thing is that Lloyd "refused to answer whether you instructed your staff to not inform the President of the United States or anyone else of your hospitalization." In addition, he insisted that the secretary failed to fulfill the promise of "full transparency" that he made to him in their last conversation.
When you and I last spoke, you promised full transparency into questions regarding the secrecy of your recent hospitalization. While you did respond to some of my questions I had for you, a concerning number of questions were not addressed. Specifically, I am alarmed you refused to answer whether you instructed your staff to not 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. Congress must understand what happened and who made decisions to prevent the disclosure of the whereabouts of a cabinet secretary.
Rogers then listed 24 questions that the secretary must respond to "by 5:00 p.m. on February 7."
