Lloyd Austin transferred his responsibilities as defense secretary to a subordinate on two separate occasions last year and didn’t inform Congress as required by federal law, according to an explosive inspector general report released Wednesday. The revelation marks another instance in which Austin has been caught going MIA while leading the Pentagon.
Released by the office of the Department of Defense (DOD) inspector general, the report primarily focuses on a controversy involving Austin that arose in January 2024. The defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed’s ICU on Jan. 1 after reportedly “experiencing severe pain,” which seemingly stemmed from an “initial medical procedure” he underwent on Dec. 22, 2023, according to The Guardian.
The report confirms Austin’s procedure was related to a prostate cancer diagnosis.
As I previously wrote in these pages, the American people, Congress, and high-ranking Biden administration officials — including President Biden — were unaware of Austin’s absence for several days. Even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks — whom Austin transferred his responsibilities to and was vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time — was also unaware of the situation until she was briefed on the matter days after Austin was admitted to the ICU.
But it appears that wasn’t the only instance in which Austin failed to properly notify relevant authorities about transferring his duties to Hicks.
According to Wednesday’s IG report, the Pentagon “did not report 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 law and DOD policy.
The DOD IG noted how both transfer of power notifications “stated that the reason for the AFD was travel” and that Hicks “was serving as the Acting Secretary of Defense.” While the directives “did not indicate the expected duration of the transfer” of authority, “the June 17 AFD lasted 1 hour and the June 21 AFD lasted 35 minutes,” according to the report.
“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.
Hellbound and Down 