EXCLUSIVE — Bipartisan Group of Senators Rips Lloyd Austin’s Post-Pentagon Role, Cites Broken Promises and Security Concerns

Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is under renewed scrutiny for founding a Washington, DC, consulting firm just months after stepping down from his post in the Biden administration. Republican and Democrat lawmakers say the move betrays public trust and raises serious ethical and national security concerns.

In a bipartisan letter to Austin, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized his recent decision to launch Clarion Strategies, a “strategic advisory firm” composed of top defense and national security officials from the Biden administration. The lawmakers accused him of “cashing in on your public service.”

Clarion Strategies markets itself as being “led by a distinguished team — including a former Secretary of Defense…[that] bring[s] unmatched expertise in defense, diplomacy, and international security.” Austin’s own biography on the firm’s site touts how he “led the Pentagon through unprecedented modernization and maturation… created pathways to drive private capital to national security priorities… [and] draw[s] on more than 40 years in the U.S. Army.”

Scott and Warren wrote that Austin broke a public pledge he made during his 2021 confirmation hearing, when he told Sen. Warren, “If I’m privileged enough to be confirmed, I can pledge to you that I’ll be mindful, not only of the legal requirements that govern my conduct but also of the appearances to ensure that the public has no reason to question my impartiality.”

Austin also stated: “I have no intent to be a lobbyist,” adding that public service “is and will remain a public trust.”

Yet, as the senators now point out, “Finding a loophole to serve as an ‘adviser’ rather than a registered lobbyist undermines the very purpose of the promise that you made to the American people.”

They asked Austin to provide transparency about his new role, including whether he would register as a lobbyist, work on behalf of foreign governments or companies, retain his security clearance, or be in contact with former colleagues at the Pentagon. The letter included nine specific questions and requested a response by July 14.

Austin is not alone in jumping into the private sector. Scott and Warren pointed to Gen. Mark Milley’s acceptance of a senior advisor position at JPMorgan Chase, along with faculty appointments at Princeton and Georgetown and a highly profitable speaking tour. “When our highest-ranking government officials and military officers treat their positions as steppingstones to personal enrichment, they corrupt the very institution they swore to defend,” they wrote.

This bipartisan condemnation follows a 2023 move by Sen. Warren and Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) to reintroduce the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, aimed at reining in contractor influence, preventing foreign entanglements, and restoring transparency around military leadership. “When former senior military officials are willing to sell their credentials to the highest bidder, our national security is put at risk,” Warren warned.

Austin’s latest career move follows a tenure marred by controversy, secrecy, and policy failures.

In a report released earlier this year, the Department of Defense Inspector General found that Austin violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act on four occasions by failing to properly notify the White House and Congress when he was unable to perform his duties. Two of those previously unreported hospitalizations occurred in June 2024, in addition to those in December 2023 and January 2024.

While Austin was hospitalized in January, top officials were unaware that Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks had assumed authority from vacation in Puerto Rico. Austin underwent multiple sedated procedures without transferring power, despite the risk of general anesthesia. In a letter to President Biden, Senate Armed Services Committee then-Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) and 11 other Republican senators warned, “No one had control of the nuclear football.” They added, “It is incredibly fortunate that no major national security crisis occurred… There must be accountability for Secretary Austin’s irresponsible behavior.”

At a March 2024 hearing, then-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) accused Austin of hypocrisy for seeking “grace” over his secret hospitalization while refusing to restore rank, back pay, or enlistment to the 8,600 service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. “No, I won’t,” Austin told Gaetz.

“There is a trail of failure and destruction behind Austin like a shadow on a sunny day,” Gaetz said. “Austin should not be above the standards he holds the department he leads to.”

Scott and Warren’s letter follows years of criticism from lawmakers, veterans, and national security analysts over Austin’s role in DEI mandates, a climate-focused military strategy, and the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, among other policies in the Department of Defense under his leadership.