In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Lee, R-Utah, reportedly said, "Secretary Austin callously informed me that day that the request for the exception to policy would not be granted.".
I questioned him as to why he thought the department shouldn't take that action.
No, none of the aforementioned things, said Lee in his floor speech, explain why he is imprisoned in Japan.
It was a medical emergency, not a criminal act, and I'm sorry that it turned into a tragedy.
The senator continued by claiming that Alkonis had a rare medical condition that he was unaware of and that because of it, he had lost consciousness at that precise moment.
With reference to a provision of the law that permits pay to continue in "unavoidable situations," Lee argued that the DoD ought to grant an exemption for Alkonis.
This is obviously a no-brainer, Lee said.
She added, "I've had the pleasure of speaking with enough members of Congress to believe [Lee] when he says that if the Department of Defense won't act, Congress will.".
An inquiry for comment from Fox News was not immediately answered by the Department of Defense.