A House Republican lawmaker is introducing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, his office told Fox News Digital on Monday.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) plans to target Austin on Tuesday as fallout continues over the Pentagon’s delayed disclosure about Austin being hospitalized last week, according to the report.
Rosendale told Fox News Digital in a statement that he believes Austin "violated his oath of office" on multiple occasions, citing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the migrant crisis at the border, and last year’s incident with a Chinese spy craft floating above the continental US.
"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," the Montana Republican 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," he added.
The move comes amid the ongoing saga surrounding the hospitalization of Austin, which was not disclosed not only to the public, but to key figures in the administration, including President Biden himself.
On Sunday, it was reported that, when Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks began assuming some of Austin’s responsibilities on January 2, not even she knew that it was because Austin was hospitalized.
The Pentagon publicly revealed on Friday that Austin had been in the hospital since January 1 due to complications from elective surgery. But a Politico report later revealed that not only were media kept in the dark, but that the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Thursday that Austin was in the hospital.
The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees both calling for more transparency about the incident.