Pentagon chief out of hospital but still in GOP crosshairs

 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is back at home after a weeks-long hospitalization, but he is still in hot water with lawmakers, with a Republican-led inquisition just beginning as to why he and those around him kept his illness and treatment secret. 

House and Senate lawmakers have demanded that Austin — recovering from an infection that stemmed from an earlier surgery in December to treat prostate cancer — be forthcoming with the details around his decision to keep his diagnosis under wraps, even when he entered the intensive care unit.

But defense officials have so far been evasive as to why Austin’s top aides kept President Biden and others in the dark and have dodged GOP requests for an in-person briefing or hearing with the Pentagon chief. 

The lack of information prompted House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Thursday to publicly call on Austin to testify next month on “decisions made to withhold information from the President, Congress, and the American people.” 

Rogers, who earlier this month launched a formal inquiry as to why Austin kept his hospitalization private, said he was promised answers when he last spoke to the Pentagon chief by phone. He has since been disappointed by the response, according to a letter sent Thursday to Austin.