{"id":2189400,"date":"2024-02-29T15:57:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T20:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-grill-def-sec-austin-over-transparency-youve-held-yourself-to-a-different-standard\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T15:59:52","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T20:59:52","slug":"house-republicans-grill-def-sec-austin-over-transparency-youve-held-yourself-to-a-different-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-grill-def-sec-austin-over-transparency-youve-held-yourself-to-a-different-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"House Republicans question Def Sec Austin on transparency, accuse him of double standards"},"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\">26<\/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%2Fhouse-republicans-grill-def-sec-austin-over-transparency-youve-held-yourself-to-a-different-standard%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=2189400&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>House Republicans Question Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Over Hospitalization<\/h2>\n<p>House Republicans engaged Defense Secretary \u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/topic\/lloyd-austin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lloyd Austin<\/a> with pointed lines of questioning as he testified on Thursday about his \u200bsecretive hospitalization earlier this year following a procedure 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> and other issues.<\/p>\n<p>During a House Armed Service Committee hearing, GOP members pressed \u2062Austin\u2063 over concerns about a break in the chain of command and accountability. \u200cChairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) declared, \u201cSomeone needs to be held accountable.\u201d Democrats used \u200cthe opportunity to push for the passage\u200c of more aid to war-torn Ukraine, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/29\/us\/politics\/austin-hearing-cancer-hospital.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.@RepMikeRogersAL SLAMS Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin&#8217;s failed transparency:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are solely responsible\u2026This administration\u200d has gone to great lengths to avoid accountability \u2062whenever \u200dpossible, but this \u200dis a \u2063matter of national security, and someone needs to be held accountable.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AqGNTRf0xZ\">pic.twitter.com\/AqGNTRf0xZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WarMachineRR\/status\/1763222450462953618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Austin testified that he \u200cdid \u201cnot handle this right,\u201d referring to the Department of\u2062 Defense (DoD) failing to quickly alert other officials about his health, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/02\/29\/politics\/lloyd-austin-congress-hearing\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN reported<\/a> that he repeatedly\u200d insisted \u2062there was \u201cnever a break in command and control\u201d at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY),\u200b the chairwoman\u200b of the House \u200bRepublican\u200d Conference who has called on Austin to resign, pressed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-ends-negotiations-with-nancy-pelosi-on-coronavirus-relief\/\" title=\"Donald Trump Ends Negotiations with Nancy Pelosi on Coronavirus Relief\">secretary<\/a> on whether a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-stu-scheller-we-need-criticism-of-military-brass-to-help-junior-service-members\/\" title=\"Exclusive -- Stu Scheller: We Need Criticism of Military Brass to Help Junior Service Members\">junior service member<\/a>\u200c would be disciplined for not reporting for duty.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asks Defense Sec. Austin if a junior service member would be disciplined for not reporting for duty:<\/p>\n<p>Austin: \u201cI think the chain of command would be concerned about why they were in a hospital.\u201d\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rdJOvqHix0\">pic.twitter.com\/rdJOvqHix0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Recount (@therecount) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/therecount\/status\/1763242747127795724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIf a service member was \u200cin a hospital I think the\u200d chain of command would \u200dbe concerned \u200cabout why they \u2064were in the hospital and make sure\u2064 that they are doing the \u200dright things \u2063to take care of them and\u2063 their families,\u201d Austin said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut don\u2019t you think it\u2019s their responsibility to notify their commanding officer?\u201d Stefanik asked as a follow-up question. \u201cI think, possible, yes,\u201d Austin replied, to which Stefanik shot back, \u201cThe answer is yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), a Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan, \u200bpressed Austin on whether he\u2062 \u201cusually\u201d goes days without talking to President \u2064Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, that can happen,\u201d Austin said. He noted there are times in which either he or the commander-in-chief is traveling and do \u200dnot engage in direct \u200ccommunication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEither the president is that aloof or you are irrelevant \u2014 which one is it?\u201d Banks asked. He also pointed out that the Pentagon did not notify the White\u200d House for three days about Austin\u2019s intensive\u2062 care unit stay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s neither,\u201d Austin said in his reply. \u201cThe \u2064president \u2064is not aloof.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Jim Banks: &#8220;Do you usually go days without talking to the commander-in-chief?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin: \u200b&#8221;I mean, that\u200d can happen\u2026&#8221;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepJimBanks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RepJimBanks<\/a>: &#8220;Either the president is that aloof or you are irrelevant \u2014 which one is it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Austin: &#8220;The president\u200b is not aloof!&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3rOpXFJN3C\">pic.twitter.com\/3rOpXFJN3C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u2064RNC Research (@RNCResearch) \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1763250433118679082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>During another exchange that touched on the\u2063 COVID pandemic, Rep. Matt Gaetz\u200c (R-FL) said Austin did not immediately inform the president about his\u2064 treatment for cancer and the complications that \u200bfollowed that prompted a hospital visit because\u2064 he\u2062 viewed the matter as personal and private.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow that you\u2062 see how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-lives-matter-arkansas-gov-signs-near-total-abortion-ban-that-supporters-hope-will-force-scotus-to-revisit-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"\u2018All Lives Matter\u2019: Arkansas Gov. Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban That Supporters Hope Will Force SCOTUS To Revisit Roe v. Wade\">personal medical decisions<\/a> are, will you call for the re-recruitment, restoration of \u200cfull\u200d rank and back pay for the 8,600 service members who were vax-mandated out of the military?\u201d\u2062 Gaetz asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I won\u2019t,\u201d Austin said. As the exchange continued,\u200c Austin told Gaetz that he does\u200b not expect to \u200cbe \u2064discharged, suspended, or demoted over the controversy he faces.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: As Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin begs Congress for grace\u2064 and forgiveness after his unauthorized absence\u200b was exposed earlier this year, he REFUSED\u2063 to give that same grace\u200d to the \u200d8,600 \u200cservice members he kicked out due to\u200d the \u2064COVID-19 vaccine mandate! <\/p>\n<p>GAETZ: \u201cNow that\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MuVZgBfA9m\">pic.twitter.com\/MuVZgBfA9m<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Matt \u2062Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepMattGaetz\/status\/1763243788389028248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After noting how Biden signed off on lifting his administration\u2019s own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fmr-dod-secy-pushes-for-military-vaccine-mandate\/\" title=\"Fmr. DOD Secy. pushes for military vaccine mandate\">military vaccine mandate<\/a>, Gaetz said, \u201cYou\u2019re not meeting your own standards that you set for yourself. And you say that the DoD is a learning organization. Haven\u2019t you \u200blearned\u2063 yet\u2064 that the military is weaker, not stronger, with the 8,600 people that you\u2019ve\u200d vax-mandated out of the military?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Austin said, \u201cThe reason I\u2019m here is because the chairman requested that I\u2063 appear to talk about the circumstances surrounding my hospitalization.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mike Waltz goes off on Lloyd Austin:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The American people, truck drivers,\u2062 bartenders, know\u200d they have \u2063to tell their \u2062boss or they get fired\u2063 \u2014 but you\u2019ve \u2063held yourself to a different standard, and \u200dthat\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/R0NKchTLzG\">pic.twitter.com\/R0NKchTLzG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CitizenFreePres\/status\/1763247720192508214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), a retired colonel in\u2062 the Army\u2064 National Guard and veteran Green Beret, argued that the hospitalization controversy was \u2062not about process\u2062 but\u200c rather \u2063judgement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe American people, truck drivers,\u2064 bartenders, know they have to \u2064tell their boss\u2064 or they get fired \u2014 but you\u2019ve held yourself to a different standard, and\u2063 that\u2019s unacceptable,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n<h2> \u2064 Did Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin&#8217;s hospitalization cause a break\u2064 in command and control \u200bat the Pentagon, according to his\u200c testimony<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Yd Austin testifies before Congress, House Republicans question\u200d him \u2064over his secretive hospitalization earlier this year. The hearing, which took place\u2062 on \u2063Thursday, focused \u2064on concerns \u200cabout a break in the chain of \u2064command and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Chairman\u2063 Mike\u200b Rogers (R-AL) emphasized the need for accountability, stating, \u2062&#8221;Someone needs to be held accountable.&#8221;\u2062 Democrats \u200dtook the opportunity to advocate for more aid to Ukraine.\u2062 Austin\u200b himself admitted that he did \u2063not handle \u2063the situation correctly, as the\u2063 Department of\u2064 Defense failed to\u2064 promptly\u200d inform other officials about his health. \u2063However, he insisted that \u2064there was never a \u2064break in command and control at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>The questioning became more intense as\u2064 Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chairwoman of the House Republican\u200b Conference, pressed Austin on whether \u200da junior service member would \u200bbe\u200d disciplined for \u200cnot \u200dreporting for duty. Austin \u200bresponded that the chain of command \u2063would be concerned about\u200b why\u2062 they were in the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) questioned\u2063 Austin about \u200chis communication with President Joe Biden. Austin acknowledged that there are times when either he or \u2063the president is traveling and they do not\u200d directly engage in communication. Banks \u2063also raised the issue of the Pentagon not notifying \u2064the White House about Austin&#8217;s intensive care unit stay \u200bfor three days.<\/p>\n<p>During the hearing,\u2062 Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) criticized Austin for not immediately informing Biden about his cancer treatment and subsequent complications. Gaetz asked\u2063 if Austin would advocate for\u200b the reinstatement and compensation of service members who were discharged due to vaccine mandates. Austin firmly replied, &#8220;No, I\u2062 won&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, House\u2063 Republicans questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over his hospitalization, raising concerns about the \u2062chain of\u200c command\u200b and accountability. Austin acknowledged his mishandling of \u200bthe situation but\u200c maintained that there was \u200bno break\u200d in command and\u200b control. The hearing highlighted the ongoing tensions between Republicans and the Biden\u2063 administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Republicans grilled Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a hearing, questioning him about his undisclosed hospitalization and its impact on the chain of command. The GOP members expressed concerns regarding the secrecy surrounding his treatment for prostate cancer and other health issues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1588,"featured_media":2189401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-2048436714-scaled-e1709233963193.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-2048436714-scaled-e1709233963193.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189400","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\/1588"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2189400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2189400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2189401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2189400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2189400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2189400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}