According to reports, President Biden did not know for several days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized.
Biden, 81, was finally informed Thursday afternoon by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that Austin had been hospitalized on Monday, January 1, sources said. told CNN.
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to complications from a minor elective surgery. Details of his illness have not been disclosed.
The public was not informed that one of the nation's top officials was incapacitated until Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced it Friday.
Austin said in a statement Saturday that he is “recovering and looking well.”[s] I look forward to returning to the Department of Defense soon. ”
“We also understand the media's concerns about transparency and recognize that we could have done a better job of ensuring the public was properly informed,” the 70-year-old continued. “I promise to do better.”
It's unclear when Austin, a retired four-star Army general who served in the military for 41 years, will leave the hospital.
rider told reporters on Friday. Several factors led to the decision to withhold news of Austin's hospitalization.
“The situation was evolving and many factors had to be considered, including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder said.
The Pentagon Press Association denounced the decision to keep secrets from the American public about Austin.
“The fact that he has been hospitalized for four days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and that the Department of Defense is only issuing a warning to the public late Friday night is outrageous.” The group said in a letter Ryder and Chris Meagher, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.
