Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admitted to a covert hospitalization, withholding information from the White House for several days.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addressed "concerns" regarding his undisclosed hospitalization, but provided no additional details about his condition in a statement released by the Pentagon on Saturday.
The acknowledgment of Austin's hospitalization due to complications from an elective procedure came late on Friday, and Austin expressed regret over the lack of timely public information. In the statement, he admitted, "I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better."
Since January 1, Austin has been hospitalized, yet neither he nor the Pentagon has disclosed the specific nature of his illness. The Pentagon reportedly informed the White House about Austin's condition on Thursday, three days after his hospitalization, according to a senior Defense official not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
POLITICO initially reported the failure to disclose the information to the White House.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden seemingly did not address a question regarding Secretary Austin's hospitalization and recovery.
According to a White House official who spoke to USA TODAY, Biden and Austin had a warm conversation on Saturday evening. The official stated, "The president has complete confidence in Secretary Austin and is looking forward to him being back in the Pentagon."
Earlier, NBC News disclosed that Austin had spent four days in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. As of Saturday, he continued to remain there, as confirmed by his spokesman, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
In a statement, Austin expressed his relief, stating, "I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon." He also expressed gratitude to the staff at Walter Reed for their support.
Failing to disclose that the 70-year-old Austin had been hospitalized for an extended period violated the usual practice of promptly releasing information about the health status of senior government officials. This departure from the norm was notably different from Austin's handling of health issues during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Austin did not suggest any intention to reveal the specific nature of the illness that led to his hospitalization.
"This is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure," Austin emphasized in the statement.
Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Armed Services Committee, called on Austin to address reports suggesting he delayed informing the White House about his illness.
"The Secretary of Defense is the key link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the weightiest of decisions must be made in minutes," Cotton wrote.
The Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since January 1, according to NBC News, citing two administration officials who mentioned Austin's inability to perform his duties since New Year's Day. In his absence, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who a senior Department of Defense official told USA TODAY had been on leave, assumed his responsibilities.
NBC reports that Hicks has been in Puerto Rico and has been conducting regular business from there.
Meanwhile, the Defense Department has been managing crises in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
On Thursday, the Pentagon authorized a drone strike in Baghdad targeting a militant, Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, also known as Abu-Taqwa, resulting in his death. Abu-Taqwa had played an active role in planning and executing attacks against American personnel, as conveyed by Ryder to reporters.
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