Rep. Matt Rosendale moves to impeach Lloyd Austin after botched hospitalization disclosure
WASHINGTON – Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., is filing an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following his failure to disclose his hospitalization over complications with a prostate cancer diagnosis and surgery in December.
The resolution notably does not take aim at Austin for his botched disclosure. The Defense Department also failed to notify the White House until three days after he was admitted in early January.
Instead, Rosendale’s resolution targets Austin over the Chinese spy balloon that flew over his home state of Montana last year, accusing him of failing to uphold his oath of office “when he allowed a Chinese high-altitude balloon to fly over North American airspace unimpeded.”
“Sec. Austin has violated his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardized the lives of the American people,” Rosendale said in a statement.
The resolution does not mention Austin’s hospitalization, but Rosendale added in the statement that Austin’s “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.”
Rosendale’s effort comes as Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and formal impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
But unlike past punitive resolutions that have become more commonplace in the House, Rosendale’s resolution is not privileged, a procedural move that would force the lower chamber to vote on the bill within two legislative days. That means it's unlikely the House would take up the resolution now, with other matters such as government funding at the top of the agenda.