Representative Chris Deluzio has become the first congressional Democrat to call for the resignation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following his secret hospitalization stay.
“I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command,” Deluzio, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said in a statement.
While the congressman thanked Austin for his service, he said he has a “solemn duty” to conduct oversight of the secretary’s behavior.
“I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign.”
Austin, 70, was secretly admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on December 22 to treat prostate cancer and later returned to the hospital due to complications including a urinary tract infection.
From Newsmax:
Austin's hospitalization for complications following prostate cancer surgery was not disclosed to the public, the White House or Congress for much of last week, triggering a political backlash and prompting a congressional investigation.
