House Republicans launch formal inquiry into Defense secretary's hospitalization

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee launched a formal inquiry Tuesday into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent hospitalization and the Pentagon's failure to inform the Biden administration of his condition, calling it "unacceptable."

In a letter to Austin on Tuesday, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., demanded answers about the Defense secretary's New Year's Day hospitalization and why key officials were unaware of his condition following surgical complications.

"My colleagues and I have grave concerns about the handling of your absence and hospitalization. It is unacceptable that neither the Department of Defense, the White House nor the Congress were accurately informed of your position or capacity," Rogers wrote Tuesday.

While Rogers started the letter wishing Austin, 70, a "speedy recovery," he quickly launched into the seriousness of the Defense secretary's absence.

"With wars in Ukraine and Israel, the idea that the White House and even your own deputy did not understand the nature of your condition is patently unacceptable," Rogers added.

The letter includes a list of nine questions and requests for documents, detailing the timeline from Jan. 1 to last Friday, when Austin resumed his duties as secretary of Defense. The questions request information on his sedation during that time, as well as official actions and military operations carried out during his absence.

The Pentagon has since revealed that before he was hospitalized, Austin approved a U.S. strike against an Iranian-backed militia leader, which was conducted Thursday.

"In order to understand how this outrageous situation and lack of disclosure transpired for so long, please promptly answer the following information and produce related documents regarding your hospitalization," Rogers requested in the letter.

Rogers also sent letters to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Secretary Austin's Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen, seeking full transparency about what transpired last week during the secretary's incapacitation.

Earlier Tuesday, it was revealed that Austin is being treated for prostate cancer. Doctors said his cancer was caught early, that he had surgery on Dec. 22 to treat the cancer and that his "prognosis is excellent."

Doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center also detailed the surgery complications that landed him back in the hospital on New Year's Day, requiring him to spend time in the intensive care unit to drain abdominal fluid that was "impairing the function of his small intestines." The Biden administration was apparently unaware of Austin's setback.

As Republicans and the House Armed Services Committee announced an investigation Tuesday, the White House is also looking into the miscommunication.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients notified agencies Tuesday that there will be a review of all protocols to delegate authority when a Cabinet-level secretary is indisposed. Austin is the nation's top defense official, a position Rogers said left the United States vulnerable last week.

"Everything from on-going counterterrorism operations to nuclear command and control relies on a clear understanding of the secretary's decision-making capacity," Rogers said. "The department is a robust institution, and it is designed to function under attack by our enemies, but it is not designed for a secretary who conceals being incapacitated."