Sen. Blackburn to Newsmax: 'No Doubt' Austin Will Face Repercussions

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Newsmax on Tuesday that she has "no doubt" that there will be consequences for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for not notifying the White House about his prostate cancer and hospitalization.

"We have been so disappointed with the performance of Secretary Austin, and there were so many people that had served with him on boards and at different times who just really touted his resume and his experience, but he has been a disappointment," Blackburn said during an appearance on Newsmax's "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE."

"Whether it was the withdrawal from Afghanistan; the way our troops were handled, with not having that focus on readiness, but putting it on some of these woke trainings that they were trying to do; not supporting our military; and of course now, what you see is this lack of transparency around the prostate surgery that he had, the admissions to the hospital, not knowing who was in charge, a breakdown in the chain of command," she continued. "And I think the secretary, having served in the military, knows that that was a breakdown, and I have no doubt that there are going to be repercussions from this. I also would not be surprised if you saw him resign or be removed from his position."

The Pentagon sparked intense political backlash when it revealed that Austin, 70, has been hospitalized since Jan. 1 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; the public, the White House, and Congress were kept in the dark for much of last week.

President Joe Biden learned that his defense secretary had prostate cancer on Tuesday, shortly after the public was informed of the diagnosis along with a subsequent infection that was initially withheld as well.

Kathleen Hicks, Austin's deputy secretary, was also not informed of the situation for days, even after she was told on Jan. 2 to assume some of his duties while on vacation in Puerto Rico.

In a statement released by the Pentagon, Walter Reed expressed optimism about Austin's recovery but cautioned that it could take time for him to fully heal.

"His infection has cleared," the hospital said. "He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process."

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