President Biden did not know 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 Military Medical Center due to complications from minor elective surgery. No further details of his illness were revealed.
The public was not notified that one of the country’s top officials was incapacitated until Friday, when Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, made the announcement.
Austin said in a statement Saturday that he is “recovering and looking to[s] “I look 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 know that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized until Thursday. ZUMAPRESS.com
“I also understand the media’s concerns about transparency and recognize that it could have done a better job ensuring the public was adequately 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 Army, will be released from the hospital.
Ryder told reporters Friday that there were several elements that influenced the decision to withhold news of Austin’s hospitalization.
“This has been an evolving situation in which we have had to consider a number of factors including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder said.
The Pentagon Press Association criticized 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 that the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday night is a scandal.” the group said in a letter Ryder and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Chris Meagher.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn