First Hill Democrat calls on Lloyd Austin to resign

Rep. Chris Deluzio became the first congressional Democrat to call for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s resignation after the controversy over his hospitalization.

“I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command,” Deluzio (D-Pa.) said in a statement that also thanked Austin for his service and wished him a speedy recovery. He represents a swing district.

“I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee. That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign,” Deluzio, an Iraq War veteran, added.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment, other than to say the department would respond directly to congressional lawmakers as it does with all Hill correspondence.