Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT) announced his plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The move is a response to Austin’s recent hospitalization being kept secret from U.S. officials.
“Sec. Austin has violated his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardized the lives of the American people,” Rosendale said in a statement.
“Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens. Moreover, recent reports show that Sec. Austin lied about the balloon repeatedly, putting the American people in danger.”
“This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week,” he continued.
Rosendale noted that Austin “failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States – including allowing an unvetted migrant to rape a young woman in Missoula.”
According to recent reports, Austin underwent prostate cancer surgery on December 22.
On January 1, Austin was “admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with complications,” which resulted in the “back up of his intestinal contents,” according to Walter Reed doctors.
The Defense Secretary’s infection cleared after a tube was placed through his nose to drain the fluid collections.
“During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,” the doctors noted.
The Pentagon previously revealed that Austin had been hospitalized following complications from elective surgery.
“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. “He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today. At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required.”
“This has been an evolving situation in which we [have] had to consider a number of factors including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder told Fox News. “We are now in a position to update you.”
On January 6, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shared a statement from Austin, where he said, “I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon. 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,” he noted.
