Although Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin failed to inform the White House about his recent hospitalization, President Joe Biden (D) is not considering firing him, Politico reported Monday.
The outlet cited a group of senior administration officials. If Austin were to issue a resignation Biden would refuse it, a person among them said.
“Austin’s going nowhere,” one official told Politico. The report noted Republicans have been calling for Biden to dismiss the defense secretary.
U.S. President Joe Biden (C)shakes hands with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, after speaking during the Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in honor of Milley, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, on September 29, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty)
During a recent interview, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told Fox News, “Apparently the National Security Council didn’t know it, the White House didn’t know it, congress didn’t know it.”
“We’re at a time of a lot of turmoil internationally and suddenly to have the secretary of defense more than just a matter of wasn’t there actually sent over false information saying, ‘I’m working from home,’ when he’s not actually available at all,” Lankford added:
Austin is being criticized for failing to tell officials he had been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center regarding complications from an undisclosed surgery, the Politico article said.
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Biden to fire Austin for the delayed announcement regarding his stay at the hospital, Breitbart News reported.
His statement read:
Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty, He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was, or might be. He has performed poorly, and should have been dismissed long ago, along with ‘General’ Mark Milley, for many reasons, but in particular the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our Country!
Breitbart News reported Sunday Austin was in the hospital’s intensive care unit for several days.
The outlet noted the failure to communicate happened “as military confrontation between U.S. troops and Iran-backed proxy groups is heating up in the Middle East, threatening a bigger crisis.”
Breitbart News noted on Monday that Biden was on vacation at the same time Austin was in the hospital.
You gotta be kidding. https://t.co/SfmuuocczI
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 8, 2024
However, Biden and Austin apparently had a phone conversation on Saturday.
The president said he was looking forward to seeing the defense secretary back at work in the near future, according to Politico.
