One of the key strengths of operations at the highest levels of the federal government is clear communications. Cabinet-level officials in the president’s administration must be available and capable of presenting vital information to the president at any given time.
A breakdown in this communication can lead to catastrophic consequences from economic issues to military concerns. There must always be a backup in place if any cabinet official is unable to perform necessary duties.
One of Biden’s key cabinet secretaries went missing last week and caused a breech of communication that left the nation vulnerable. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was incapacitated for days and the White House didn’t know because he didn’t tell anyone.
Former President Donald Trump called the situation unacceptable and demanded Biden send Austin packing. Trump posted his demand on Truth Social soon after the debacle was exposed.
From The Daily Wire:
“Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty,” Trump said. “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.”
Trump’s claim of improper conduct appears to fit the situation. Austin was in the hospital for days, from Jan. 1 to Jan. 4, before notifying the White House, the National Security Council, or Congress. The Pentagon chief was apparently in the intensive care unit for some of that time and he recovered at Walter Reed over the weekend.
What may be worse is Austin’s action to pass off some responsibilities to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. The problem with that scenario, according to reports, was that Hicks was on vacation in Puerto Rico and was in the dark about her boss’s condition.
A key Republican senator questioned why federal law was not followed for notifying the proper officials of Austin’s medical situation. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the whole scenario was “unacceptable” and exhibited a “shocking defiance of the law.”
“Worryingly, we now have more questions than answers,” Wicker said. He questioned everything from the role Austin’s staff had in what happened to the extent the DOD chief was incapacitated.
“The very fact that we have none of this information is an indictment of an administration which consistently holds Congressional authority on national defense matters in contempt,” Wicker said.
Key Takeaways:
- Trump slammed the secretary of defense and demanded that Biden fire him now.
- Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin disappeared from duty for days with no notice.
- Austin failed to properly notify the president of a medical procedure and hospital stay.
Source: The Daily Wire
