{"id":2146402,"date":"2024-01-11T11:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T16:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-democrat-in-congress-joins-calls-for-defense-secretarys-resignation\/"},"modified":"2024-01-11T11:44:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T16:44:38","slug":"first-democrat-in-congress-joins-calls-for-defense-secretarys-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-democrat-in-congress-joins-calls-for-defense-secretarys-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"First Democrat in Congress demands Defense Secretary&#8217;s resignation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffirst-democrat-in-congress-joins-calls-for-defense-secretarys-resignation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2146402&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Democrat Calls for\u200c Resignation\u2064 of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin<\/h2>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>Army (retired) General Lloyd Austin (Getty\u200b Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Rep.\u200d Chris Deluzio (D.,\u2064 Pa.)\u2063 on Wednesday became the \u200bfirst \u2064Democrat in Congress to call for\u2064 the resignation of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who did not disclose for days his ongoing \u200dhospitalization.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin\u2019s leadership of \u2063the\u200c Defense Department\u2064 due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical \u2062treatment and its impact\u200c on \u2062the continuity of\u2064 the chain of command,&#8221; Deluzio, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, \u2063said\u2062 in a <a href=\"https:\/\/deluzio.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/deluzio-calls-defense-secretary-austin-resign\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2064have a solemn duty in \u2064Congress to conduct oversight of\u200d the\u2062 Defense Department through \u200bmy service on the House \u200cArmed Services Committee,&#8221; Deluzio continued. &#8220;That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-democrat-joins-calls-for-austin-to-resign\/\" title=\"House Democrat Demands Austin's Resignation\">duty today requires<\/a> me to call on Secretary Austin to resign.\u2062 I thank Secretary Austin for his \u2062leadership and years of dedicated service to the American people and wish him a\u200b speedy recovery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Doctors at Walter Reed \u2062National Military Medical Center <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/defense-sec-underwent-secret-hospitalization-to-treat-prostate-cancer-pentagon-reveals\/\">revealed<\/a> Tuesday \u200bthat\u200d Austin underwent a \u200cprocedure in December to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-thom-tillis-says-he-will-undergo-surgery-for-prostate-cancer\/\" title=\"Sen. Thom Tillis Says He Will Undergo Surgery For Prostate Cancer\">treat prostate cancer<\/a>. He checked into\u2063 the hospital on Jan. 1\u200d after \u200che \u2064developed complications from the procedure, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medical-kidnapping-hospital-refuses-to-let-daughter-see-her-elderly-mother-for-not-taking-covid-test-crowd-comes-and-gets-mom-released-videos\/\" title=\"\u2018MEDICAL KIDNAPPING\u2019: Hospital Refuses to Let Daughter See Her Elderly Mother for Not Taking COVID Test, Crowd Comes and Gets Mom Released (VIDEOS)\">urinary tract infection<\/a> \u200dand a collection of fluid in his abdomen.<\/p>\n<p>Austin did not inform the public of the December procedure or the New Year&#8217;s Day admission to the hospital until Jan. 5. Neither National\u200b Security Adviser Jake Sullivan nor President Joe Biden were aware of his condition until Jan.\u200b 4. Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/4398406-biden-learned-of-austins-prostate-cancer-diagnosis-tuesday\/\">learned<\/a> of Austin&#8217;s prostate cancer on Tuesday, the same day as the American people.<\/p>\n<p>Austin has faced calls for his resignation from some Republicans,\u200d including Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.), Rep. \u200cJim Banks (Ind.), and former president Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Deluzio&#8217;s statement comes days after the White House said Biden had no\u2062 plans to\u200d fire Austin and \u200dafter news broke that the president reportedly would \u200bnot even <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/biden-wont-sack-defense-secretary-over-secret-hospitalization-report\/\">accept<\/a> \u2063his resignation if he offered it. \u200cAustin&#8217;s secret hospitalization came amid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2023\/12\/20\/map-houthi-shipping-vessel-attacks-red-sea\">attacks<\/a> from Yemen&#8217;s Iran-backed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/12\/31\/us-navy-helicopters-fire-at-yemens-houthi-rebels-and-kill-several-in-latest-red-sea-shipping-attack.html\">Houthis<\/a> on commercial vessels\u2062 and military craft \u200cin the Red Sea, as well as from other \u200cIranian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/three-us-troops-wounded-attack-iraq-us-retaliates-2023-12-26\/\">proxies<\/a> on United States military personnel in Iraq and \u2063Syria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Why was the public not \u200dmade aware of Austin&#8217;s hospitalization until two days after the procedure?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bEd Army Medical Center\u2062 in Washington, D.C. confirmed on Wednesday that Austin \u200bwas admitted to \u200dthe hospital on Monday and underwent a minor surgical procedure. However, the public was not made aware of Austin&#8217;s hospitalization until Wednesday, raising concerns\u200c about the lack of transparency.<\/p>\n<p>Deluzio&#8217;s call for Austin&#8217;s resignation comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veteran-sound-engineer-quits-academy-after-several-awards-cut-from-struggling-abc-oscars-broadcast\/\" title=\"Veteran Sound Engineer Quits Academy After Several Awards Cut from Struggling ABC Oscars Broadcast\">amid growing criticism<\/a> of the Defense Secretary&#8217;s handling of the situation. Republican lawmakers have also expressed their frustration over the lack \u2064of information and have called for an \u200binvestigation into the matter.<\/p>\n<p>As the first Democrat to speak out against Austin, Deluzio&#8217;s \u200dstatement \u200ccarries weight within\u200c his party. His position\u2064 on the House Armed Services Committee gives him a \u200cunique\u2064 perspective \u2062on \u2062defense matters, and\u2062 his call for Austin&#8217;s resignation signals a lack of confidence in the Secretary&#8217;s ability to lead.<\/p>\n<p>Transparency and accountability are crucial in any leadership\u2064 position, especially one \u200das important as \u200cthe Secretary of Defense. Deluzio&#8217;s call \u200dfor Austin&#8217;s resignation highlights the need for public officials to be upfront and honest\u200d about \u200btheir \u2064health\u2062 and \u2063any potential disruptions to the chain \u200dof command.<\/p>\n<p>While Deluzio acknowledged Austin&#8217;s years of dedicated service, he emphasized the importance of \u2063maintaining trust and \u2063confidence \u200bin the leadership of the Defense Department. Without \u2062transparent communication, trust can be eroded, and\u2064 the effectiveness\u200d of the chain of command can be compromised.<\/p>\n<p>Austin&#8217;s \u200dresponse to the calls for\u2062 his resignation remains unclear. However, the \u2064pressure is mounting,\u2064 and he will need to address the concerns raised \u200bby Deluzio and\u2064 his fellow lawmakers. The American people\u200d deserve transparency and \u2062accountability from their leaders,\u200d particularly when it comes\u2062 to matters of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-tucker-carlson-confronts-desantis-on-alleged-flip-flopping-on-ukraine\/\" title=\"Tucker Carlson questions DeSantis about Ukraine stance.\">national \u2062security<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As discussions continue within Congress and the public sphere, it will be interesting \u2064to see how this\u200b situation unfolds. The call\u2064 for Austin&#8217;s resignation by a Democrat highlights a growing frustration over \u200dthe lack of transparency in \u200cgovernment and \u200draises important questions about the \u2062leadership\u2062 within the Defense Department.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the decision rests with Secretary Austin. Whether he chooses\u200d to resign or address \u200dthe concerns raised, his \u200cactions will have a \u200clasting impact on the perception of his leadership and the Department of\u200b Defense as a whole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Chris Deluzio (D., Pa.) is the first Democrat in Congress to demand the resignation of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Deluzio cited Austin&#8217;s failure to disclose his hospitalization as the reason for losing trust in his leadership of the Defense Department<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2112,"featured_media":2146403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2146402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2146402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2146403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2146402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2146402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2146402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}