Republican to file articles of impeachment against Lloyd Austin

| January 9, 2024

Representative Matt Rosendale, Republican, plans to forward articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. This plan comes in the wake of Austin’s health event and covers other defense hiccups. These involved the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and the passing of the Chinese spy balloon over the US.

From Fox News:

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 U.S.

“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.”

The Pentagon publicly revealed on Friday that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 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.

Fox News has additional information on this story.

Category: Military issues

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KoB

Virtue signaling. Nothing will come of it. Watch

ChipNASA

Exactly
And that goes for 90% of all this shit.
Call me when they perp walk these motherfuckers.
And they share Epstein’s Jail cell.

5JC

Gotta pump the re-election campaign. Isn’t like he is a senator that only has to run every six years.

SgtM

3 days no show and no call is job abandonment. Just accept his resignation.

ChipNASA

I say give him a stern letter of counceling.
Remember, document document, document.

Army-Air Force Guy

3 days? Hell, Secretary Mayorkas has been missing for 3 years.

SFC D

Has anyone seen Pete Bootykeg lately?

FuzeVT

Does anyone want to?

Army-Air Force Guy

Maybe he’s on paternity/maternity leave again.

Odie

Wasn’t he sitting next to the emergency exit on that Alaskan airline that lost its emergency exit?

5JC

They filed impeachment articles today. They might have the votes too.

Odie

Another yawner from the Republican Party. Keep in mind, it’s an election year, and they are making the proper election year noises in their opinion to keep the masses happy.

Nothing will happen that won’t be swept or pardoned away.

rgr769

Well, even if they impeach Gropey or any of his flunkies, there are not 2/3rds of the senators that will convict. So, the impeachments would just be for show and PR, like those against Trump.

MustangCPT

They might have the votes to impeach him, but it will go nowhere in the Senate so it’s just theatre. Especially with RINO’s like Mittens and Miss Lindsey. It’s bad enough to not have the 2/3 vote necessary to remove, but there’s a better than even chance that the Senate Republicans wouldn’t even get to a majority. You can take it to the bank that ZERO dems would cross the aisle. Hell, in the House I could think of a couple of critters who could conceivably vote against impeachment, like Dan Crenshaw.

Odie

Agreed. Spineless cucks.

5JC

Then cut the budget of his department to zero. They aren’t doing their job anyway. Nothing like sending a money bomb message.

Reddawg_03

Or at least hes AWOL. Thats how it worked for us low level dweebs anyway 

SFC D

Impeachment shouldn’t be taken lightly or made easy. An actual, functioning Commander-in-Chief would be awaiting Austin’s resignation just as soon as he’s healthy enough to sign his name.

5JC

But Biden will never be healthy enough to sign his name.

SFC D

Sign it? Does he even know it?

Odie

Isn’t it Brandon?

timactual

How many years in the Army and he still doesn’t know that he needs to inform his superior(s) if he will not be present for duty? An actual, functioning, CinC wouldn’t bother with a resignation; he would just tell Austin to take as much time as he needs because he no longer has a job to report for.

SFC D

Dumbass didn’t even notify his #2.

5JC

Seriously, so picture the #2 being informed of a nuke launch and someone shows up at her door talking launch codes. They tell her that the SecDef was out sick without telling her. Sounds like a really long conversation in a short period of time.

e.conboy

I can hear her cackling now!

Odie

A functioning commander in chief would pay Austin a visit with papers in hand. And a presidential pen to keep as a momento of the occasion.

MustangCPT

The pen is a nice touch…kudos my good man. It’s the little things that count!

Kind of like that phony we had a few years back where the dude’s old First Sergeant showed up and told the story of how he let the guy keep his canteen cup when he was discharged!

SFC D

Probably the most heart warming story I ever heard here. I got all verklempt.

2banana

When you don’t show up to your job for four days and no one notices…

You are a diversity hire.

George

Or you have a well trained well run staff that is on the same page with commanders intent and only needs guidance in case of an unexpected crisis. Sounds like he surrounded himself with a capable staff and an excellent COS.

SgtM

Tell that to the families of the ones who were blown up in the evacuation. Lord Vader Austin has blood all over his hands.

Blaster

I want to reply to this statement, buts too ignorant for me to think of anything. Have you watched this SECDEF in action? (actually it’s non action). Everything that he’s touched while being the SECDEF has been a disaster. EVERYTHING!

A Proud Infidel®™

IMO like the rest of the top echelon of this current clown crew of an administration, Austin is purely a DEI quota.

Blaster

Absolutely!

Odie

Well, we have different protected people for different reasons, so there may be that.

SFC D

That’s a reallll long stretch. What you call “well trained”, I’d call “covering up an unexplained absence in the national command authority”. That’s not “following commander’s intent”, it’s dereliction of duty.

OAM

Or, a bunch of useless drones incapable of seeing the Emperor is naked, much less calling it out.

Either way, it begs several questions about who is actually issuing orders.

KoB

Either way, it begs several questions about who is actually issuing orders.”

Bath House Barry.

Odie

^^^this^^^

FuzeVT

I’ll pile on, I guess. The point is not even that things weren’t running super smoothly because of his crack staff (clears throat). The problem is the fact that he was in the hospital and the deputy, press and (most importantly) the President were not informed in a timely manner (nicest way to put it). The Commandant of the Marine Corps had a heart attack and the press was notified and the deputy was in charge as soon as it happened. That is how it is supposed to happen. If his staff was so capable, the deputy would have been notified only slightly before the president and she would have come back from her PR vacation.

BSmitty56

If he was a private in the ready brigade at Fort Bragg (or whatever it’s now called), he would have to keep his superiors informed of his whereabouts at all times.

timactual

Because, as we all know, privates are more essential to the defense of the US than political hacks.

MustangCPT

His chief of staff was ALSO out sick you fucking lickspittle. Go fuck yourself.

IMG_0047
Odie

Stolen, and will be shared with some co workers.

rgr769

Plus, his deputy was on vacation in the Virgin Islands.

MustangCPT

Before I forget:

IMG_0055
MustangCPT

Looks like Froggy is going win this one going away. 🤣

MustangCPT

Shut it down…Froggy is undefeated thus far!🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

timactual

That’s two winners in one minute. Excellent.

SFC D

Frog went a courtin’, he did ride uh huh

MustangCPT

I was wondering how long it would be before someone would bring that up!🤣

https://youtu.be/_FyJyurljoM?feature=shared

AW1Ed

timactual

Does that same argument apply to his COS, etc? After all, what does it matter if a few staff are missing for a few days since the rest are capable. And what of that “unexpected crisis” you mention?

SgtM

If you have such capable staff that several can be missing for periods of time and things still run, do you really need everyone on the payroll?

David

Two things: More to the point, if you are not needed – why are you there? Seems to me you are unnecessary.

Re his assistant’s absence – she was not sick, she was on a preplanned leave in Puerto Rico.

David

Correction, his assistant was on vacay, his COS was sick. So three links in the chain out and no one talking…that is not a well-oiled machine, that is rusted to a halt.

USMC Steve

Except that they aren’t capable. His staff is a bunch of marginally qualified socialist democrat ideologues.

Like him.

MSG Eric

So “Capable” that they didn’t tell the White House their SECDEF, 2nd in command of the US Military, that he was in the hospital.

If I didn’t send a SITREP up to our next higher HQ within one hour after a Soldier was taken to the hospital, I’d get my ass reamed by three or four levels. Even if that Soldier just went for a sprained ankle.

The SECDEF wasn’t going for a sprained ankle either, he went because of pancreatic cancer and ended up in the fucking ICU. They don’t put people in the ICU who can “function normally”.

This also provides the perception that the White House has little concern for the military, which isn’t surprising considering who’s in charge of the WH.

Any other bullshit excuses you want to give for this?

rgr769

The news reports said it was surgery for prostate cancer. If he has pancreatic cancer, he will likely be dead in three to five years.

MustangCPT

Prostate cancer can take you out pretty quick depending on how aggressive it is. I had a cousin pass within 6 months of his initial diagnosis. Mid 40’s, healthy, athletic type who played football, wrestled, and ran cross country in high school and was a pro boxer into his 30’s and kept himself in shape even after he hung up the gloves.

Odie

You should have ended your comment with a snark emoji.

Dennis - not chevy

Back when I was a medic at a USAF Medical Center, I had to pull Administrative NCO of the Day duty. I didn’t like it and not just because I didn’t have the Medical Administration AFSC; I didn’t like it because if any General or Admiral of any rank or position got sick it was my job to notify the Pentagon immediately, fill out the reports, and hope and pray I would get off duty before there was any change in status requiring more reports to the Pentagon.

If I had do it as a USAF SSgt (E-5 for those scoring at home), I would think the Defense Secretary’s staff would have to do it too. I shall cuddle my 214 tonight.

Prior Service

Now do Mayorkas. Traitor.

5JC

Funny you should mention that….

Sapper3307

Sickcall was different when he was Two/Panther/Six/
IMHO

Andy11M

Well, turns out his “elective” procedure that led to his hospitalization wasn’t so elective. Old man has prostate cancer. Bets on the cancer or the impeachment getting him first?

SFC D

Post op UTI fucked him up, put him in ICU. Someone had to know.

MustangCPT

Yeah, prostate surgery is elective? 👌
Buncha cocksuckers over there in the old puzzle palace.

Andy11M

I think the elective part was a colonoscopy, they found it, and that’s why he went into the hospital.

MustangCPT

A colonoscopy would find colon polyps or colon cancer. I read that he had high PSA levels and the initial surgery was specifically to treat prostate cancer. See the link:
https://www.nebraskamed.com/urologic-conditions/mens-health/whats-the-difference-colonoscopy-vs-prostate-exam

Odie

👏👏 yay, colonoscopy 👏👏

My recent one came back clean, but I prepped for it 😏

MustangCPT

Oh, they gave you that disgusting powdered laxative? I drank a gallon of that lemon flavored stuff and was shitting every 15 minutes once it kicked in. That was a rough night.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Impeach him, that is racist.

SFC D

Blacklist him. That’s racist

SFC D

Assistant SECDEF is on a planned vacation, COS is out sick, SECDEF is incapacitated. Surgery for prostate cancer is serious business but could’ve easily waited a week, until the office had someone in charge. And you never, ever let your boss get caught out like that because of your negligence, especially at the cabinet level, even if your boss is Joe Biden and wouldn’t remember who you are anyway. Pack your shit, Lloyd.

Last edited 7 months ago by SFC D
fm2176

Austin spent decades in uniform, reaching the highest rank possible in today’s Army. I wonder how many Soldiers he punished over the years for Failure to Report, or for improper procedure. “Hey there, SGT, I know your wife had to go to the ER at 0230 and you didn’t have cell phone service in the hospital, but you missed movement this morning and failed to let anyone know your status.” “CPT, it doesn’t matter that a weather call was made to cancel your training this morning, you had those ranges reserved and failed to occupy them.”

There are systems in place–successions of command, command delegation, and so on–that ensure that no military unit is leaderless. Generally, leaders at all levels provide notice to their seniors and to their delegates before taking a step back. There’s the whole “lead by example” thing. If the ACS or Marine Commandant decided just to take a few days off without telling Austin, would that fly? How about if a brigade commander went to the hospital without informing his XO, CSM, and Division?

Of course, you have the token apologist in these comments. I had to look up his Chief of Staff, Kelly Magsamen, and I guess the excuses just pile up. Seems the allegedly “capable staff and… excellent COS” are anything but. The COS was out sick, so failed to notify anyone. Okay, so that leaves the staff themselves. Was there any reason why they failed to inform the right people in both the White House and Pentagon? Maybe that “excellent COS” failed to delegate duties properly, leaving the “capable staff” without adequate guidance and the ability to function properly. Hell, maybe the staff simply thought it was another week in the office. “Bob, have you seen the Boss?” “No, Jim, he’s probably out golfing. We’d know if anything serious was going on, did you ask Kelly?” “Oh, she called out sick today, we’ll talk to her when she gets back.”

5JC

I personally gave an article 15 to somebody because they went across the border when it was closed to military personnel due to a typhoid breakout. He then got typhoid, and instead of going to the military hospital he goes to an out of network civilian hospital, even though he lived in a barracks, because he was afraid of getting caught and getting in trouble. He also skipped work to go without telling a supervisor where he was.

He was on restriction for a week, broke it, got arrested for DUI and then didn’t call anybody to let them know he was in jail because somehow he thought he wasn’t going to get caught, and he was afraid of getting in more trouble? This was all in the first month that I had him. This all happened, so I started a chapter paperwork on him to get rid of him and the battalion Commander turned it down.

The following month he attempted to rape a female soldier while he was on restriction to the barracks an extra duty for the DUI. Before he did that he got good and drunk though. I took the chapter paperwork back to the BC, who turned it down again. POS had been in the army for 18 months and was still in E1. The very next field exercise he falls off a truck, and requests a medical board.

I don’t know if He ever got it I left after that. He was one of those 10% of soldiers that you spend 90% of your time on.

SFC D

I’ve seen my share of shitbirds, but holy chit!

MustangCPT

Yeah, some guys are just BEGGING to get whacked!

Andy11M

I thought I had a Joe or two that were absolutely soul sucking. Joes like that are why the platoon office door has a lock on it.

Old 1SG, US Army (retired)

Another impeachment activity… that’s perfect distraction for Biden’s campaign, keeps the press and everyone else concerned busy for a while.

This is not likely to get too far… too many cards for them to play…

“We had it under control”
“He was ill, have a little sympathy”
“This is a personal attack on this man’s integrity”
“This is unfair”
“This is another case of the big R-ism”
“We didn’t want to violate the ADA and HIPAA”
“Joe knew what was up…”
“We kept it on the downlow for security reasons”

Biden doesn’t have the (fill in the blank) to demand Austin’s resignation or fire him.

SFC D

No one was in control, Fuck sympathy, he has no integrity, in a fair world he’d resign, it’s not political, it’s operational, there’s no violation, and that’s not how you maintain security, it’s how you propagate a lie.

Filled in all the blanks.

Fyrfighter

You’re likely right that they’ll try to claim most of that crap, but only one of the lines is accurate.. it IS a personal attack on his integrity… as he’s shown he has none..