Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from a hospital in Washington, DC, Monday, two weeks after suffering complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer – and kept it from his subordinates at the Pentagon and his bosses at the White House.
In a statement, Austin doctors said the 70-year-old will continue to work remotely “for a period of time” and undergo physical therapy, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Austin was rushed to Walter Reed National Army Hospital on the night of Jan. 1 in severe pain from a urinary tract infection — a complication from a prostatectomy he had undergone Dec. 22 — but failed to notify the White House of his hospitalization until Jan. 4.
Instead, he quietly transferred his authority to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks on Jan. 2 — without telling her or any of his other Pentagon colleagues why.
Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, didn’t find out about Austin’s hospitalization for another two days.
Lloyd Austin has been released from the hospital. ZUMAPRESS.com Austin was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Hospital on the night of January 1 in severe pain from a urinary tract infection. ZUMAPRESS.com Despite the backlash, the White House expressed confidence in Austin. AP
The Pentagon announced Austin’s hospitalization in a news dump Friday afternoon, Jan. 5, but the defense secretary kept the full story of his hospitalization secret until last Tuesday, when his Walter Reed doctor released a statement that made news to the Pentagon and the White House.
The secrecy caused outrage on Capitol Hill, with members of Congress saying Austin had been left in the dark as the US grappled with the fallout from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East – conducting airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen while the defense secretary was put on hold. (edit)
Despite the backlash, the White House expressed confidence in Austin, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby telling MSNBC on Friday: “We will all learn from this event, but the secretary of defense will remain in office.”
Lloyd Austin issued this statement after the release of Walter Reed. Department of Defense
While visiting Allentown, Pa. Friday afternoon, President Biden told reporters “I do” when asked if he still had confidence in Austin — but also answered “yes” when asked if Austin had shown a lapse in judgment by not informing him of his illness.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
