GOP representative calls to impeach Defense Secretary over 'woke' military
A Republican lawmaker named Cory Mills is attempting to impeach and remove Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from office due to his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and his support for a “woke” military culture.
Mills, who served in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, claimed that Austin did not adequately address the military’s recruitment shortage of over 25,000 personnel and the unconstitutional dismissal of 8,400 members.
According to Mills, Austin’s focus on teaching “pronouns and DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in military academies detracts from the need to identify and mitigate future threats.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Army veteran GOP rep pushes to impeach defense secretary over 'woke' military, Afghanistan debacle | Fox News <a href="https://t.co/yHij2WkAt1">https://t.co/yHij2WkAt1</a></p>— Cory Mills (@CoryMillsFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryMillsFL/status/1644674132754288640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Following his presentation of articles of impeachment to Austin during the House Armed Services Committee hearing, Republican legislator Cory Mills has criticized Austin’s actions, accusing him of neglecting his duties and prioritizing political optics over military strategy. Mills cited the closure of Bagram Air Base and the suspension of commercial flights in Kabul as critical moments that led to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, resulting in the death of 13 U.S. service members in a Kabul attack. According to Mills, Austin has not taken accountability for his actions.
Mills has claimed that many officers on the ground could be relieved of duty for the failures that unfolded in Afghanistan and that Austin shouldn’t be held to a separate standard because of his position. Mills also argued that the failures in Afghanistan and a transition to more woke policies have contributed to the largest military recruiting shortfall in decades, something for which he says Austin shares the blame.
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Mills said that he has received support from colleagues who want to move forward with the impeachment process against Austin. “We already have quite a few … a lot of members who want to go ahead and sign on to this,” Mills said. “I will make sure that I submit this forward so that it can be considered for additional investigations and hearings for Secretary Austin.”
Mills pointed out that although Austin has extensive military experience and played a role in establishing Bagram Air Base, it should have made him more aware of the importance of the base and prevented him from closing it down. Mills emphasized that high-ranking officials like the secretary of state or defense should be held accountable and judged more harshly for their failures and successes. The move to impeach Austin is a significant step in the ongoing discussion about the direction and goals of the U.S. military.