WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after receiving a classified briefing on U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's failure to notify the White House or Congress of his hospitalization:
“Today’s briefing should never have been classified. The American public deserves to know details about this breakdown in command at DOD. The Pentagon finding itself blameless is irresponsibly dismissive. At a minimum, DOD must consider how to inform Congress about future gaps in command — as required by current law.”
“Today’s briefing should never have been classified. The American public deserves to know details about this breakdown in command at DOD. The Pentagon finding itself blameless is irresponsibly dismissive. At a minimum, DOD must consider how to inform Congress about future gaps in command — as required by current law.”