The Biden administration suddenly finds itself embroiled in a rare personnel scandal following a bizarre situation with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin — who ended up hospitalized last week and apparently didn’t tell senior administration officials or his own deputy about it. Below is what we know about this still developing story, which has left a lot of people in Washington, D.C. scratching their heads.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center in Virginia since January 1 for treatment following what Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder says were complications from a minor elective medical procedure. The 70-year-old had that procedure done on December 22, according to the Pentagon, but began experiencing severe pain last week and was eventually admitted to Walter Reed’s intensive care unit, where he then remained for four days. It’s still not clear what medical procedure Austin underwent, what the complications have been, or when he will be discharged from Walter Reed.
What is clear is that senior leaders at the Pentagon and White House — including President Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks — didn’t know about Austin’s hospitalization until days later. Multiple reports indicate that they weren’t informed about Austin’s condition and hospitalization until Thursday, January 4.
According to Ryder, the reason for the delayed notification was that Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was also ill and not able to tell senior officials about Austin’s illness until January 4.
It seems that at least some of them were. The Pentagon said Sunday that Austin transferred “certain operational responsibilities that require constant secure communications capabilities” to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 2 — one day after he was admitted to Walter Reed. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said that “This transfer occurs from time to time and is not tied chiefly to health-related matters” and that Hicks, who was vacationing in Puerto Rico at the time, “keeps a complete suite of communications and capable staff with her at all times, regardless of geographic location.” But its not clear what Hicks was told regarding the transfer of duties, as she was reportedly not informed about Austin’s hospitalization until Thursday, January 4. Hicks then planned to return to D.C. on Friday, but was told that wasn’t necessary since Austin would be resuming his responsibilities from the hospital.
On Saturday, Defense Secretary Austin released a statement in which he appeared to take the blame for the communication breakdown:
I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon. I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better.
But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.
Politico Playbook reports that the prominent explanation put forth by administration insiders is that the defense secretary is just a stubborn old-school military guy who keeps this sort of thing to himself:
[Austin] is an intensely private man, a 70-year-old four-star general who is set in his ways and dislikes to “bother” people (including, apparently, some of his staff) with his problems — a tough, “stiff upper lip” bearing that will be immediately familiar to those of us who grew up in military families. … It seems, based on his public statement, that Austin believes in a level of privacy that, in actuality, isn’t really afforded to people high up in the presidential line of succession — to say nothing of the person charged with maintaining the nation’s nuclear readiness.
Though many at the White House are reportedly befuddled by Austin’s poor judgement regarding the matter, President Biden remains in the retired general’s corner and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken out in support of Austin.
The Pentagon Press Association, however, send the Defense Department an official letter of protest on Friday:
The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage. At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader.
The top ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker, has said that the failure to disclose Austin’s medical condition is “unacceptable” and he has called for a “full accounting of the facts immediately.” House Armed Services Committee chair Mike Rogers and the committee’s top Democrat, Adam Smith, have also said that Austin must quickly provide answers regarding the lack of transparency and how the situation was handled.
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How Could Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Go Missing For Days?
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08.01.2024
The Biden administration suddenly finds itself embroiled in a rare personnel scandal following a bizarre situation with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin — who ended up hospitalized last week and apparently didn’t tell senior administration officials or his own deputy about it. Below is what we know about this still developing story, which has left a lot of people in Washington, D.C. scratching their heads.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center in Virginia since January 1 for treatment following what Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder says were complications from a minor elective medical procedure. The 70-year-old had that procedure done on December 22, according to the Pentagon, but began experiencing severe pain last week and was eventually admitted to Walter Reed’s intensive care unit, where he then remained for four days. It’s still not clear what medical procedure Austin underwent, what the complications have been, or when he will be discharged from Walter Reed.
What is clear is that senior leaders at the Pentagon and White House — including President Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks — didn’t know about Austin’s hospitalization until days later. Multiple reports indicate that they weren’t informed........
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