President Biden was unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized, according to a report.
Biden, 81, was finally informed Thursday afternoon by national security adviser Jake Sullivan that Austin had been hospitalized on Monday, Jan. 1, sources told CNN.
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Army Medical Center due to complications from minor elective surgery. No further details about his illness were released.
The public was not informed that one of the nation’s top officials was disabled until Friday, when Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, made the announcement.
Austin said in a statement on Saturday that he was “repairing and looking[s] looking forward to returning to the Pentagon soon.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized Monday due to complications from elective surgery. AFP via Getty Images
President Biden reportedly did not learn that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized until Thursday. ZUMAPRESS.com
“I also understand the media’s concerns about transparency and I realize I can do a better job of making sure people are properly informed,” the 70-year-old continued. “I am committed to doing better.”
It is unclear when Austin, a retired four-star Army general who served 41 years in the military, will be released from the hospital.
Ryder told reporters Friday that there were several elements that made the decision to withhold news of Austin’s hospitalization.
“This has become an evolving situation where we have to consider a number of factors including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder said.
The Pentagon Press Association slammed the decision to keep Americans in the dark about Austin.
“The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon only informed the public late on Friday afternoon is an outrage,” the group said in a letter to Ryder and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Chris Meagher.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
