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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 666 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 666

   Impeaching Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary of Defense, for high 
                        crimes and misdemeanors.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 25, 2023

 Mr. Mills (for himself, Mr. Posey, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, and Mrs. 
  Luna) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Impeaching Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary of Defense, for high 
                        crimes and misdemeanors.

    Resolved, That Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary of Defense, is 
impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following 
articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
     Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people 
of the United States of America, against Lloyd James Austin III, 
Secretary of Defense, in maintenance and support of its impeachment 
against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

 article i: dereliction of duty including and resulting in abandonment 
                      of americans in afghanistan

    
    The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ``shall 
have the sole Power of Impeachment'' and that ``all civil Officers of 
the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and 
Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and 
Misdemeanors''. In his conduct while Secretary of Defense, and in 
violation of his constitutional oath to defend and secure our country 
and uphold the Constitution, taken on January 22, 2021, Lloyd James 
Austin III engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors through his 
dereliction of his duties and intentional abandonment of Americans in 
Afghanistan, in that:
    Secretary Austin took an oath to defend and secure our country and 
uphold the Constitution when he was sworn in as Secretary of Defense on 
January 22, 2021. Article II of the United States Constitution tasks 
the executive branch with ensuring the laws passed by Congress and 
signed into law by the President are faithfully executed.
    Despite having nearly 8 months as Secretary of Defense to prepare 
for and execute a smooth and orderly departure from Afghanistan, 
Secretary Austin failed to adequately prepare for such a withdrawal, 
including through his decisions during the catastrophic events of July 
and August 2021, which initially resulted in as many as 9,000 American 
citizens being abandoned in Afghanistan. These actions recklessly 
abandoned the interests, security, and values of the United States of 
America, and contributed to the unnecessary deaths of 13 United States 
servicemembers, as well as uncounted American civilians who were 
targeted and murdered by the Taliban.
    During the night of July 1, 2021, Bagram Air Base was secretly 
evacuated, which was subsequently de facto turned over to Afghan 
Government control without notice to them. Because the United States 
Armed Forces, which were under the direction of Secretary Austin and 
President Biden, as Commander in Chief, abandoned Bagram Air Base and 
the prison facilities associated with it without ensuring its 
persisting security throughout the remaining duration of the United 
States presence in the country, thousands of Taliban prisoners were 
freed. One of these prisoners, Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri, was an ISIS-K 
terrorist who detonated a bomb outside Hamid Karzai International 
Airport (HKIA), killing 13 United States servicemembers and at least 
170 Afghans. The strategic disadvantages of HKIA as a headquarters for 
the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, as compared to Bagram Air 
Base, were blatantly apparent, and Secretary Austin's decision to 
evacuate the base in preference for HKIA caused cascading failures in 
the withdrawal that represent a gross neglect for his constitutional 
duties to the national security of the United States and provide for 
the reasonable safety of the servicemembers entrusted to his 
leadership.
    Further, though the Taliban failed to uphold the negotiated 
agreement providing the foundation for the drawdown of United States 
military forces from Afghanistan, Secretary Austin failed in his 
responsibility to modify the strategy or logistics related to the 
removal of United States military personnel from Afghanistan, including 
to delay the United States drawdown or otherwise mitigate persisting 
threats posed by the Taliban and their affiliated forces to the United 
States. Instead, Secretary Austin forced an arbitrary withdrawal 
deadline of September 11, despite substantial evidence and other 
intelligence being available that the United States lacked the 
capabilities to effectively implement this deadline without assuming 
significant costs, including of American lives. Secretary Austin's 
strategic and moral blindness to the glaring flaws in the withdrawal 
strategy represents an extraordinary dereliction of his duties to the 
Constitution and to the people of the United States of America.
    Wherefore, Lloyd James Austin III, by such conduct, has forsaken 
his sworn duties to the United States of America, its national 
security, and its people, and has acted in a manner grossly 
incompatible with the Constitution and the Office of Secretary of 
Defense. Lloyd James Austin III thus warrants impeachment and trial, 
and removal from office.
                                 <all>
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