The White House is standing behind Lloyd Austin. President Joe Biden says he has “full trust” in the Defense Secretary even amid fallout over his secret hospitalization.
The Pentagon revealed yesterday that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 suffering complications from an elective surgery. This was something neither the Pentagon nor the White House knew about until Thursday.
Now some Republicans are calling for Austin’s resignation. This group includes former President Donald Trump, who says Austin should be “fired immediately” over what Trump called “improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty.”
In Congress, Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana is introducing articles of impeachment citing not only Austin’s lack of transparency but also his role in the botched pullout from Afghanistan.
Austin released a statement over the weekend apologizing for his lack of communication.