Even US President Joe Biden was unaware of the hospitalization of his Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin. Did the minister violate the rules? The case concerns Congress, the Pentagon and the public. His resignation is demanded, but considered impossible.
If you're sick, do you at least tell your boss? What applies to regular workers does not necessarily apply to the US Secretary of Defense. But the lack of communication with US President Joe Biden raises questions. There are allegations that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin may have broken a law by remaining in the hospital. Despite calls for his resignation, there likely won't be any harsh consequences for Austin. He will probably just have to wait for a reprimand from US President Joe Biden. Questions and answers about a case that made headlines around the world.
What exactly did Lloyd Austin do?
The 70-year-old US Secretary of Defense was admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on New Year's Day because of “complications following a recent medical procedure,” according to the Pentagon. Austin is directly below President Biden in the US military chain of command – and yet his team did not inform the White House about his condition for three days. Even his top deputy was left in the dark.
What is in the public minutes and what is in the private minutes?
Austin's handling of the situation appeared to be a flagrant breach of protocol for senior Cabinet members. As a general rule, it is important to inform the public in good time about planned medical absences and, above all, to inform them about who will take over during the absence.
Austin's duties as Secretary of Defense require him to be immediately available to respond to any national security crisis. He himself said only on Saturday that he “could have done a better job” and took “full responsibility” for the secrecy surrounding his admission to the hospital.
White House officials have already rejected calls for Austin to be replaced, saying Biden still has “full confidence” in Austin, who is still in the hospital but is now back in charge of his role.
Did Lloyd Austin break a law?
Legal experts said Austin may have violated a U.S. “vacancy reporting” law that requires executive agencies to report to both houses of Congress the absences of senior officials and the names of anyone performing their duties during the absence. However, the law is largely procedural and does not provide any penalties for violations.
The unanimous opinion was that Austin clearly violated this rule. But the minister will probably only receive a reprimand and a warning from Biden. Any deputies or officials responsible could face similar consequences.
But Austin may also have violated internal U.S. Department of Defense protocols. Authorities are investigating the incident in detail, the Pentagon said. They want to investigate how future breaches can be prevented.
When did Austin speak to President Biden?
Austin spoke with Biden, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the morning of Jan. 1 before he was hospitalized, the White House said. The “secure conference call” was about the Middle East. Biden was vacationing in St. Croix at the time.
After that, there was no further contact with the White House or the National Security Council until January 4, the White House said. Biden and Austin spoke next on Jan. 6, according to the White House.
White House officials said Biden continued to be briefed on national security issues by other officials during Austin's hospitalization, and that the president received his daily national security briefing prepared by the intelligence community. The daily briefing also includes contributions from, but is not compiled by, the Department of Defense.
How is Congress responding?
Lawmakers from both parties (Republicans and Democrats) said they were deeply concerned that the president was unaware that his top civilian commander was hospitalized for three days while wars were raging in Gaza and Ukraine. US Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Saturday that the situation was “unacceptable” and called for a “complete and immediate clarification of the facts”.
Former President Donald Trump, who will be Biden's likely Republican opponent in the 2024 election, said Sunday night that Austin should be fired for his “professional misconduct and dereliction of duty.”
Democratic Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “This lack of disclosure must never happen again.”
Pentagon wants to review processes and communications
Asked whether the Defense Department's legal department believed Austin had violated any laws, the Pentagon's top spokesman, Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, told reporters: “We are reviewing the impact of legal reporting requirements and will present a report in due course. ” He later added that the reporting requirements under consideration would not just affect Congress. “It's about Congress, the White House or whoever,” he said. (Portal)