Waltz Castigates Secretary Austin, 'How Can He Enforce Discipline?'

Rep. Michael Waltz

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin went to the hospital at the beginning of January without proper notice, for which he will testify before the House Armed Services Committee. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) appeared on Fox and Friends First to speak ahead of the deposition, saying Austin should resign because "how can he enforce discipline if he does not do it on himself?"

When asked what sort of questions he would pose to Sec. Austin, Rep. Waltz replied that he would ask, "Was it [Austin] or was it a member of his staff that deliberately decided not to tell his deputy [Kathleen Hicks] why they were transferring authority to her, and by the way, she was drinking Mojitos down in Puerto Rico at the time. [Hicks] did not know to come back to Washington D.C. because she was not told. So who made that decision? Who made the decision not to tell the American people, and who made the decision to deliberately not tell the Commander in Chief for days on end?"

When February began, Sec. Austin publicly apologized for the incident, saying his lack of warning to President Biden was to avoid giving him another issue to deal with. However, Austin has also built a reputation for being secretive.

Rep. Waltz blasted Austin's explanation, "This is not about your privacy. It is not about you. You have to leave that at the door when you take the oath. This is about the American people and the mission. They were let down quickly."

Host Todd Piro asked Waltz if he believed Austin should resign.

"I do not see how he could not. How can he enforce discipline on a military if he cannot follow [the] basics himself? A barista at Starbucks would know that you have to tell your supervisor and you have to cover your shifts, much less, again, the Secretary of Defense. I guarantee you there have been submarine captains and base commanders fired for this type of offense. How can he enforce discipline if he does not do it on himself?" Waltz concluded.