Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) is expected to file articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the House returns from recess, accusing the Biden administration official of violating his oath of office after failing to inform the White House and even some members of his own staff of his hospitalization last week.
Rosendale plans to introduce the impeachment charges when lawmakers reconvene on Tuesday evening, citing several incidents in which the Montana Republican believes Austin failed to complete his duties since he took the position in 2021. The impeachment effort escalates the recent criticism Republicans have levied against Austin over the last week after he was hospitalized but did not disclose his condition until four days later.
“Sec. Austin has violated his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardized the lives of the American people,” Rosendale said in a statement. “Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people.”
Rosendale listed a number of incidents he argues are evidence that Austin is unfit for the position, including his handling of the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, the crisis at the southern border, and the Biden administration’s response to a Chinese spy balloon that was detected in U.S. airspace last year.
“Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base — home to ICBMs — and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens. Moreover, recent reports show that Sec. Austin lied about the balloon repeatedly, putting the American people in danger,” Rosendale said. “This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week.”
It’s not entirely clear whether the efforts to impeach Austin will gain much traction in the House, especially as Republicans are already focused on impeaching President Joe Biden and Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Rosendale doesn’t plan to file the resolution as privileged, a source told the Washington Examiner, making it unlikely the legislation will even be brought to the floor for consideration.
Even if the resolution did advance through the House, the effort would likely be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate.
The news of Austin’s hospitalization was reported on Friday afternoon, four days after the defense official was initially admitted. It has not been released what complications Austin faced, although Pentagon officials said they arose from an “elective medical procedure.” However, the department did not provide details on what the procedure was or how serious Austin’s conditions were.
The lack of transparency has sparked outrage among Republicans, with many calling for his resignation. In response, the White House and the Pentagon announced on Monday they would investigate the situation, especially as Biden was not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until days after he was admitted.
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However, the White House has rejected calls to terminate Austin from his position, telling reporters on Monday there are “no plans” for him to be removed. The defense official also has “no plans to resign,” a spokesperson for the DOD told the Washington Examiner.
The secrecy around Austin’s hospitalization raised questions, especially as it overlapped with an Islamic State bombing in Iran and a Department of Defense-authorized airstrike in Baghdad earlier this week. A DOD official told the Washington Examiner last week that Austin and Biden authorized the airstrike.
Reese Gorman contributed to this report.
