2024-01-10 21:07:20
The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is still receiving medical care in hospital and is in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the US state of Maryland.
The Ministry added that it does not have a specific date for his release from the hospital.
Austin, 70, was transferred on January 1 to Walter Reed Military Medical Center, a fact that the Department of Defense concealed from the Americans, the White House, and Congress for most of last week, sparking widespread political criticism.
Austin’s representative, Kathleen Hicks, also remained in the dark for several days, even following she was asked during a vacation in Puerto Rico to take over some of his duties on January 2.
White House spokesman John Kirby said, “President Biden was not informed until last (Thursday) that Secretary Austin was in the hospital. He was not informed until this morning (Tuesday) that the primary reason for his hospitalization was prostate cancer.”
He added, “No one in the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning, and the president was informed immediately following that.”
Austin and Biden spoke on Saturday, and it is not yet clear why Biden did not know regarding Austin’s injury until Tuesday.
Dereliction of duty
Republicans considered the incident evidence of Austin’s dereliction of duty, a retired general who led American forces in Iraq and the first black Secretary of Defense in the United States. The Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee has launched a formal investigation.
“In light of the wars in Ukraine and Israel, the idea that the White House and even your Vice President did not understand the nature of your condition is completely unacceptable,” Representative Mike Rogers wrote in a letter to Austin.
Austin was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed following suffering complications from prostate cancer treatment on December 22, including nausea along with severe abdominal, thigh and leg pain. After being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, Austin was transferred to the intensive care unit on January 2.
Austin follows Biden directly in the pecking order in the US Army, and his duties require that he be available at any moment to address any crisis related to national security.
This includes always being ready to enter into secure communications with other officials in the event of an imminent nuclear attack, something that can be difficult in an intensive care unit bed.
Some prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, called for Austin’s removal from office.
But the Pentagon said he had no intention of resigning, and the White House said Biden was not seeking to fire him.
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