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Donald Trump’s White House Cabinet was among the most scandal-plagued in American history. Over the course of four years, the Republican’s team of secretaries was burdened by criminal investigations, ethics controversies and humiliating resignations.
In contrast, President Joe Biden’s White House Cabinet has been remarkable in its absence of legitimate controversies — that is, until now. Politico reported that there’s a bipartisan consensus that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s medical secrecy was a serious mistake.
Top Democrats are voicing concerns and asking tough questions following the news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for several days before the White House was informed. ... The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I), said the major failure of disclosure “must never happen again” and urged the Pentagon to be more forthcoming with the facts.
If there’s a persuasive defense for how this was handled, I can’t think of it. When a secretary of defense is hospitalized, that’s the sort of development that the White House needs to be aware of. Austin has a reputation for being a private man who doesn’t like to “bother” people with his problems, but by any fair measure, the decision not to share his hospitalization — he was in intensive care — was an obvious lapse in judgment.
Fortunately, Austin’s health has apparently improved, and he has resumed his duties, but the questions about transparency are just getting started.
It’s against this backdrop that one congressional Republican has already broached the subject of impeachment. Politico reported:
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) is planning to introduce an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — marking the latest fallout after he was in the hospital for days without notifying the White House or the public. Rosendale said during an interview on Monday with The Vince Coglianese Show that he would introduce the impeachment articles on Tuesday, when the House is set to return from its holiday recess.
Chances are, the Montana congressman’s effort won’t amount to much, at least not anytime soon. The GOP appears far more interested in impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, so Austin’s critics, to the extent that they exist in large number, will have to wait.
But Rosendale’s comments serve as a timely reminder of a political dynamic that Republicans really ought to appreciate more: There’s value in a political party pacing itself.
At last count, the House Republicans’ impeachment list included President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, six Cabinet secretaries, the director of the FBI, and a federal prosecutor some conservatives don’t like. In fact, it was last summer when some GOP members introduced an impeachment resolution targeting the Pentagon chief for reasons no one remembers.
The result resembles the boy who cried wolf: Congressional Republicans have launched so many pointless and baseless crusades against so many Cabinet secretaries that these efforts have been stripped of any real meaning.
If GOP officials want their impeachment pushes to be taken seriously, perhaps they should try launching fewer of them?