First Democrat in Congress publicly calls for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to resign
By Haley Talbot, CNN
Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania is calling on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to resign “due to lack of transparency,” the first Democratic member of Congress to do so.
“I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command,” Deluzio said in a statement on social media Wednesday.
Deluzio represents a swing district in Western Pennsylvania and sits on the House Armed Services Committee.
Austin is being treated for prostate cancer and suffered complications that led to him being taken to hospital on New Year’s Day where he is still being treated, according to a statement Tuesday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The Pentagon had been facing intense questions after it was revealed late last week that Austin had been hospitalized for days without notifying the public. It was subsequently reported that President Joe Biden, senior national security officials and even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks – who had assumed Austin’s duties – were not aware of the defense secretary’s hospitalization until three days after he was admitted.
“I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign,” Deluzio added. “I thank Secretary Austin for his leadership and years of dedicated service to the American people and wish him a speedy recovery.”
CNN’s Haley Britzky contributed to this report.
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