Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Newsmax on Monday that it is "absolutely inexcusable" that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was missing in action for an extended period of time last week, saying congressional oversight is needed to get answers.
Ernst stopped short of saying that President Joe Biden should ask for Austin's resignation, but she told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" that Congress needs to find out "why this fell apart."
"Absolutely inexcusable that we have a secretary of defense that was missing in action over the course of multiple days while we continue to see the war rage in Ukraine, of course, Israel and Gaza at war, and, of course, our own service members being attacked by the Houthis in multiple areas throughout the Middle East," Ernst told Van Susteren. "This should not have happened. It cannot happen again.
"And this is where we need congressional oversight. We need answers directly from the secretary of defense or those within his own personal chain of command on why this fell apart," she added.
Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1 for severe pain that came in the aftermath of a medical procedure on Dec. 22. Problem is, nobody, not Biden, not Congress, not even his No. 2 at the Pentagon knew he was hospitalized until Thursday, three days later.
"We need Congress pushing on this to find out exactly what happened and why they were not being transparent with the president, with Congress, and with the American people," Ernst said.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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