Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale announced his intention to introduce articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after he failed to disclose his hospitalization last week.
Rosendale made his announcement in a Monday statement.
"Sec. Austin has violated his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardized the lives of the American people," Rosendale wrote in his statement.
Rosendale referenced instances of Austin endangering Americans, including last year's spy balloon which flew over Malmstrom Air Force Base and "compromised" national security and allowed a foreign nation to gather intel on American citizens.
"Moreover, recent reports show that Sec. Austin lied about the balloon repeatedly, putting American people in danger," the Montana representative wrote, noting a late-December report which claimed the Biden administration lied about their knowledge about last year's spy balloon.
Rosendale said Austin's dishonesty was a "repeated pattern" and noted Austin's undisclosed hospitalization last week.
"Furthermore, the Secretary failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration's disastrous withdraw from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States," the Montana representative said, adding one unvetted migrant had raped a woman in Missoula.
"Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people," Rosendale concluded.
Last week, Austin was hospitalized at the Walter Reed National Military Center over complications from an elective surgery. However, the Secretary of Defense did not notify the White House, Congress, or the National Security Council of his hospitalization until Jan. 4. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was tapped to assume Austin's responsibilities, though Hicks too was unaware of Austin's hospitalization.
Austin's failure to disclose his hospitalization drew the ire of many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who called on President Joe Biden to terminate the Defense Secretary.
"Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was, or might be."
"He has performed poorly, and should have been dismissed long ago," Trump continued, "along with 'General' Mark Milley, for many reasons, but in particular the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our Country!"
Austin released a statement on Saturday thanking the nursing staff at Walter Reed for their care and warmth towards him and his family.
The Defense Secretary said he recognized "media concerns" about "transparency" and conceded he could have "done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed."
"I commit to doing better," the defense secretary wrote and added, "this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."
