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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tried to convince lawmakers that the nation’s security was in safe hands as he was rushed into intensive care during an undisclosed hospital stay last month. Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee weren’t buying his explanation Thursday.
The hearing was the first opportunity for lawmakers to question the private and notoriously press-averse Mr. Austin, 70, over the lack of transparency about his time at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The White House, Congress and Pentagon colleagues were kept out of the loop for days about Mr. Austin’s Dec. 22 prostate cancer treatment and the complication that sent him back to the hospital on Jan. 1.
Critics noted Thursday that the nation was dealing with multiple crises in Ukraine, the Red Sea and the Middle East while Mr. Austin was either hospitalized or recuperating at home, raising real national security concerns.
President Biden didn’t learn that his defense secretary was in the hospital until Jan. 4. Congress and the American people were notified the next day. The incident prompted some calls on Capitol Hill for Mr. Austin to resign or be fired.
“It’s totally unacceptable that it took over three days to inform the president that the secretary of defense was in the hospital and not in control of the Pentagon,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, Alabama Republican. “Wars were raging in Ukraine and Israel, our ships were under fire in the Red Sea, and our bases were bracing for attack in Iraq and Syria. But the commander in chief did not know that his secretary of defense was out of action.”
Although he has apologized repeatedly for his handling of the affair, Mr. Austin insisted there were no gaps in the control of the Pentagon at any time, even when he was taken into an intensive care unit, and the responsibility for running the world’s most powerful military was transferred to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
“At all times, either I or the deputy secretary was in a position to conduct the duties of my office,” he said. “There was never any lapses in authority or in command and control.”
Mr. Austin described his initial cancer diagnosis as a “gut punch” and called it a “very personal and deeply troubling issue.” He insisted that he never directed his staff not to inform the White House about his medical condition.
“I didn’t want to burden the president with one of my personal issues,” he said, acknowledging that it was the wrong decision. “I should have promptly informed the president, my team, Congress and the American people about my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.”
Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican, said the issue isn’t Mr. Austin’s desire for privacy or his health concerns.
“This is about the chain of command and civilian oversight of the most powerful military in the world that’s charged with keeping the American people safe,” said Mr. Waltz, a former Green Beret who fought in Afghanistan.
On Jan. 1, doctors at Walter Reed told Mr. Austin’s staff that they would not have access to him once he was taken into intensive care. His assistants then initiated the process to transfer responsibility to Ms. Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico.
“That’s the tripwire to transfer authority, and they followed the procedure,” Mr. Austin said.
The Pentagon on Monday released a summary of its own internal review of Mr. Austin’s hospital stay. The three-page document concluded there was “no indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate” in the failure to promptly disclose the secretary’s condition. The review cited privacy restrictions and hesitancy among Mr. Austin’s top aides to communicate timely information about his condition.
The Pentagon inspector general’s office is conducting its own review.
Mr. Austin acknowledged a clear breakdown in communications.
“We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right,” he said during his opening remarks. “I have apologized, including directly to the president, and I take full responsibility.”
Whether the apology will put the controversy to rest is another question. Mr. Biden has said he was unhappy with how the illness was handled but has expressed full confidence in the 70-year-old former Army general. Still, there is little doubt the flap has provided ammunition to congressional critics already unhappy about what they say are “woke” liberal policies the Pentagon has pursued under Mr. Austin.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, accused Mr. Austin of hypocrisy because of his decision not to allow the return of some 8,000 service members forced out of the military after seeking a religious exemption to the Defense Department’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“Because you screwed up, we fix your screw-up, and now you want grace. But these people who have sought religious exemptions, they got no such grace,” Mr. Gaetz said. “You want that benefit, but you don’t want to extend it to others. You’re not meeting your own standards that you set for yourself.”
Democrats in Congress have joined the bipartisan criticism of Mr. Austin’s attempt to keep his hospital stay secret from the president and Congress. Some Democrats tried to shift the discussion Thursday toward other subjects, such as emergency funding for Ukraine and Israel and the looming funding crisis for the Pentagon if Congress fails to pass a full-year budget.
“We should not allow this topic to take our focus away from the many other important topics that demand our attention. The war in Ukraine and the current unrest in the Middle East are the most urgent examples,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Also, the Republican-controlled House needs to pass the fiscal 2024 appropriations bill and supplemental funding to support Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders, Mr. Smith said.
“A yearlong [stopgap budget] would be catastrophic for the work we are doing to modernize the force, generate readiness and engage in strategic competition,” he said. “It is my hope that we get the answers we need about the secretary’s absence and move on to these other pressing topics.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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