WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday that he was “shocked” when he learned of his prostate cancer diagnosis late last year, admitting that his “first instinct” was to keep it to himself despite holding a cabinet position.
“It was a gut punch,” Austin, 70, told reporters in his first media appearance since he was rushed Jan. 1 to Walter Reed National Army Hospital — where he scandalously stayed for four days without telling his White House bosses or friends. his friend at the Pentagon.
“Honestly, my first instinct was to keep it a secret,” he added after admitting that he handled the situation well.
“I don’t handle this right,” the Pentagon chief said. “I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should also have told my team and the American public. I apologize to my teammates, and to the American people.”
Austin ended up being held at Walter Reed for two weeks as doctors helped him through complications from a Dec. 22 prostatectomy — which he also kept from the Biden administration.
The secrecy shocked Washington, with Republicans and Democrats in Congress calling for his resignation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that his “first instinct” was to keep his health diagnosis to himself despite his cabinet role. AFP via Getty Images
While Austin is famously private, critics argue he lost some right to personal privacy when he took the nation’s top defense job — a reprimand Austin accepted Thursday.
“I don’t think it’s news that I’m a pretty private guy. I don’t like to burden others with my problems. It’s not my way,” he said. “But I’ve learned from this experience that taking a job like this means losing some of the privacy that most of us have come to expect.”
“The American people have a right to know if their leaders are facing health challenges that may affect their ability to perform their duties even temporarily,” Austin continued.
The secretary further claimed that both his diagnosis and his status as a black man contributed to his anxiety about disclosing his condition.
“It may not be a confidentiality issue as much as a privacy issue,” he said. “Cancer is very personal … if you know what an early diagnosis feels like. And in the black community, it’s more of a thing that people want to keep secret.”
Austin said he was “shocked” when he learned of his prostate cancer diagnosis late last year. AP
“In my case, I should have informed my boss. I do not. That was a mistake, and again, I apologize to him for not doing that,” he added.
Although President Biden was in the dark about Austin’s initial four days in the hospital, the secretary insisted that there was “no gap in authority and no risk to the department’s command and control” in his absence.
“At all times, either I or the deputy secretary is fully responsible,” he said. “And we’ve already put in place some new procedures to make sure any mistakes in notifications don’t happen.”
The Pentagon and the Defense Department’s Inspector General are conducting a review of the situation, and are expected to issue recommendations to prevent further notification failures.
Some additional questions — including why his aide asked the 911 operator “no lights and sirens” to guarantee a “smooth” ambulance pickup — will come to light after the review is complete, Austin said, adding that he did not direct his aide to make the request.
“I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should also have told my team and the American public. I apologize to my teammates, and to the American people,” the Pentagon chief said. AP
Although Austin claimed he never ordered his staff to hide the truth, he also disputed a reporter’s question about whether he had “created a culture of secrecy” that unduly influenced the actions of his aides.
“I don’t think I’ve created a culture of secrecy,” he said. “I think there will be security officers, there will be other staff who may think that they’re doing things in my best interest, and I can’t predict or determine or be sure that that’s possible.”
“I just know what I say and don’t say and, of course, you know, I have a great staff and they always want to do the right thing,” he added.
After his release on Jan. 15, Austin worked from his $3.5 million home in Virginia — even hosting virtual meetings of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group from a temporary home office — before returning to the Pentagon last Monday.
Since then, he has been busy driving around the pentagonal building in a golf cart while continuing to suffer from lingering leg pain.
Although Austin is famously private, critics argue he lost some right to personal privacy when he took the nation’s top defense job. AFP via Getty Images
Austin was invited to testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the secrecy scandal on February 14.
The secretary did not say whether he would do so, although he said he would work with the committee to address their questions.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
