According to an explosive investigator general report released on Wednesday, Lloyd Austin transferred his duties as defence minister to a superior on two separate occasions last year and didn’t advise Congress as required by federal laws. Another example in which Austin has been caught going Dear while leading the Pentagon is the result of this discovery.
The report, which was made public by the office of the Department of Defense ( DOD ) inspector general, primarily focuses on a controversy involving Austin that arose in January 2024. The security minister was admitted to Walter Reed’s ICU on Jan. 1 after apparently “experiencing serious pain”, which evidently stemmed from an “initial health treatment” he underwent on Dec. 22, 2023, according to The Guardian.
The document confirms Austin’s method was related to a prostate cancer treatment.
As I originally wrote in these sites, the American citizens, Congress, and high-ranking Biden administration officials — including President Biden — were conscious of Austin’s lack for some time. Also Kathleen Hicks, the assistant secretary of defense, was unaware of the situation until she was briefed on it time after Austin was admitted to the ICU and was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time.
However, it turns out that Austin wasn’t the only occasion where he improperly informed the appropriate government about giving his obligations to Hicks.
According to Wednesday’s IG report, the Pentagon “did not record two]Assumption of Functions and Duties ] AFDs, occurring on June 17, 2024, and June 21, 2024, to the Comptroller General and Congress” as required by federal laws and Army plan.
The DOD IG noted that Hicks was acting as acting secretary of defense while both transfer of power messages” stated that the reason for the AFD was go.” While the guidelines “did not show the expected length of the exchange” of power,” the June 17 AFD lasted 1 minute and the June 21 AFD lasted 35 moments”, according to the document.
” However, although these AFDs were reported to the] White House Situation Room], they were not reported to the Comptroller General and Congress”, the analysis reads.
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act mandates that” the head of the professional organization notify the Comptroller General of the United States and both houses of Congress ‘ immediately upon the incident of a] vacancy’ in a]Presidential visit,” as described by the DOD IG.
Senate confirmation ] placement, including the name of any people serving in an acting capacity and the time for company began”.
A “vacancy” occurs when the person holding the position in question “dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to carry out the functions and responsibilities of the office,” according to the statute. The Deputy Secretary of Defense serves as Acting Secretary of Defense under federal law, according to the report’s subsequent observation.
” As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am deeply, deeply disturbed to learn that we have had two significant lapses in the chain of command that have left our country wide open for attack”, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in response to the revelation. ” Just as you would expect, there will be zero accountability from the Biden administration”.
According to the report released on Wednesday, neither Austin nor Hicks “met the requirement” to inform Congress and the comptroller general of Austin’s decision to relegate his duties to Hicks during his January medical episode. While the DOD IG “acknowledge]d ]” Hicks was unaware that she had been made acting defense secretary,” there nonetheless was a requirement for her … to make those immediate notifications”.
Shawn Fleetwood is a University of Mary Washington graduate and a staff writer for The Federalist. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
