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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 23 January 2021
officer serving as secretary of de- American forces withdrew entire-
fense within seven years of retire- ly, only to return in 2014 after the
ment. Austin retired in 2016 after Islamic State extremist group cap-
serving as the first Black general to tured large swaths of Iraqi territory.
head U.S. Central Command. He At Central Command, Austin was
was the first Black vice chief of staff a key architect of the strategy to
of the Army in 2012 and also served defeat IS in Iraq and Syria.
as director of the Joint Staff, a be- Biden said in December when he
hind-the-scenes job that gave him announced Austin as his nominee
an intimate view of the Pentagon’s that he considered him "the person
inner workings. The House and the we need at this moment," and that
Senate approved the waiver Thurs- he trusts Austin to ensure civilian
day, clearing the way for the Sen- control of the military.
ate confirmation vote. Critics of the nomination have
Austin, a large man with a boom- questioned the wisdom of making
ing voice and a tendency to shy an exception to the law against
from publicity, describes himself a recently retired military officer
as the son of a postal worker and serving as defense secretary, not-
a homemaker from Thomasville, ing that the prohibition was put
Georgia. He has promised to speak in place to guard against undue
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, greets Deputy Secretary of Defense David
Norquist as he arrives at the Pentagon, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington. his mind to Congress and to Biden. military influence in national secu-
Associated Press At his confirmation hearing Tues- rity matters. Austin has promised to
day, Austin said he had not sought surround himself with qualified ci-
Continued from Front ing sworn in and getting an intel- the nomination but was ready to vilians. And he made clear at his
And a short time later he arrived ligence briefing, Austin would hold lead the Pentagon without cling- confirmation hearing that he em-
at the Pentagon’s River Entrance, a meeting on COVID-19 with sen- ing to his military status and with full braces Biden's early focus on com-
where he was greeted by holdover ior civilian and military officials. He awareness that being a political batting the coronavirus pandemic.
Deputy Defense Secretary David also planned to speak by phone appointee and Cabinet member "I will quickly review the depart-
Norquist, who has been the act- with NATO Secretary General Jens requires "a different perspective ment's contributions to coronavirus
ing secretary since Wednesday, Stoltenberg and to receive brief- and unique duties from a career in relief efforts, ensuring we are do-
and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chair- ings about China and the Middle uniform." ing everything we can — and then
man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He East. As vice president, Biden worked some — to help distribute vaccines
didn’t stop to answer reporters’ Austin’s confirmation was compli- closely with Austin in 2010-11 to across the country and to vacci-
questions but said he looks forward cated by his status as a recently re- wind down U.S. military involve- nate our troops and preserve read-
to dealing with the press. tired general. He required a waiver ment in Iraq while Austin was the iness," he told the Senate Armed
The Pentagon said that after be- of a legal prohibition on a military top U.S. commander in Baghdad. Services Committee.q

GOP lawmaker with gun sets off House

chamber metal detector

was carrying a concealed
gun on his side, according
to the reporter.
The officer sent Harris away,
at which point Harris tried
to get Rep. John Katko, R-
N.Y., to take the gun from
him. Katko refused, telling
Harris he didn't have a li-
cense to carry a gun. Har-
ris eventually left and re-
turned less than 10 minutes
later. He once again went
through security and did
not set off the magnetom-
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., speaks during a news conference with
members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, on Capitol Hill, eter. He was then allowed
Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington. to enter the House floor.
Associated Press Harris, in his sixth term repre-
senting Maryland's Eastern
By MATTHEW DALY noon. The metal detec- Shore, issued a statement
WASHINGTON (AP) — Capi- tors were installed after through his chief of staff,
Gilberto Francois (Betico) Croes tol Police are investigat- the Jan. 6 insurrection at Bryan Shuy.
ing an incident in which a the Capitol, which left five "Because his and his fam-
January 25th, 1938 –November 26th, 1986 Republican lawmaker was people dead, including a ily's lives have been threat-
blocked from entering the Capitol police officer. The ened by someone who has
To our reader and clients; House chamber after set- incident was witnessed by been released awaiting
ting off a metal detector a reporter from the HuffPost trial, for security reasons,
while apparently carrying website. the congressman never
To our reader and clients; a concealed gun. After setting off the ma- confirms whether he nor
In connection with the holiday, Betico Croes Day, Aru- Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chine, Harris was asked anyone else he's with are
ba Today will not be published on set off the metal detector to step aside for further carrying a firearm for self-
Monday, January 25th, 2021. We will resume our publi- while trying to enter the screening. At that time, an defense,'' the statement
cation on Tuesday, January 26th, 2021. chamber Thursday after- officer discovered Harris said.q