Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., plans to file articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a "repeated pattern" of dishonesty.
Austin's secret hospitalization last week, a period in which nobody, including President Joe Biden, knew where he was, was the last straw for Rosendale. The two-term congressman also cited Austin's handling of the Chinese spy balloon and the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"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," he wrote.
"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."
Austin was admitted to the intensive card unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Jan. 1 for severe pain stemming from an elective medical procedure on Dec. 22. However, he failed to communicate to Biden, to Congress, or even his deputy that he was in the hospital until Thursday.
"As an Army Combat Veteran and a member of the Armed Services Committee, I find Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent actions deeply troubling and a dereliction of duty," Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and military veteran told Semafor.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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