On Wednesday, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) officially submitted articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III. You can read the full articles of impeachment here. He said the following in a video after submitting the resolution:
“I just dropped off the Resolution for the Impeachment of Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense,” said Rep. Rosendale.
“It is House Resolution 951. That should be assigned to a committee, and begin consideration, so that he will have his day in court, as they say.”
The articles are as follows:
Lloyd James Austin III, in his conduct as Secretary of Defense, has acted contrary to the trust and duty of an Officer of the United States and has degraded the honor of the United States by providing aid to its enemies:
Secretary Austin took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, when he was sworn in as Secretary of Defense on January 22, 2021.
Secretary Austin failed to uphold his oath of office when he allowed a Chinese high-altitude balloon to fly over North American airspace unimpeded from January 28 to February 4, 2023:
(1) Secretary Austin’s failure to demolish or obstruct the balloon when it was first detected resulted in the balloon hovering over Malmstrom Air Force base, which is one of three U.S. military sites that houses intercontinental ballistic missiles.
(2) Secretary Austin failed to meet the duties of his office by either willfully ignoring available reports or failing to investigate the properties of an enemy balloon over U.S. military bases: in the months following the incident it was widely reported that the balloon had the ability to capture images and transmit signals despite initial statements from the Pentagon. Whether Secretary Austin knowingly or unknowingly allowed an enemy to collect data on U.S. military bases, his conduct proves him unfit for Office and shows a dereliction of duty.
(3) Despite the balloon being tracked by the Pentagon when it entered Montana air space on January 31, 2023, Secretary Austin did not order the balloon to be intercepted. Moreover, Secretary Austin did not organize a briefing for Members of Congress until the presence of a Chinese balloon was publicly reported and Secretary Austin has never spoken directly to the American people impacted.
(4) In the months to come, under the direction of Secretary Austin, Pentagon officials lied to the American people about the incident and the dangers posed to the United States. It was reported in December of 2023 that the Chinese balloon used a U.S. internet service provider to transmit data and that the Biden Administration intended to stay silent had American citizens not reported the balloon.
