US defence chief Lloyd Austin released from hospital
US DEFENCE Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from Walter Reed hospital, he said on Monday, after two weeks of treatment that he initially concealed from other top officials including President Joe Biden, leading to calls for his removal from office.
Austin kept Biden and lawmakers in the dark about being diagnosed with prostate cancer for weeks, and did not inform them for days about his hospitalisation on Jan 1 for complications from his treatment.
While the situation has been a headache for Biden, putting him on the defence and providing an opening for Republican attacks in an election year, the president has resisted pressure to part ways with the secretary.
“I’m grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre and want to thank the outstanding doctors and nursing staff for their professionalism and superb support,” Austin said in a statement.
“As I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon,” he said.
Austin, a 70-year-old career soldier, underwent minor surgery to treat the cancer on Dec 22, returning home the following day.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
But he was readmitted due to complications including nausea and severe pain on Jan 1.
White House, Pentagon reviews
The White House was not informed about Austin’s hospitalisation until Jan 4, while Congress was not told until the following day, and Biden did not learn of the cancer diagnosis until Jan 9.
SEE ALSO
In response, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients ordered an urgent review of the rules for when senior US officials are incapacitated, as did Austin’s chief of staff Kelly Magsamen.
The Pentagon’s independent inspector general also announced a review “to examine the roles, processes, procedures, responsibilities, and actions related to the secretary of defence’s hospitalisation” in both December and January.
The secretary’s undisclosed hospitalisation left a key national security official unaccounted for at a time when Washington’s forces are frequently under fire in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen’s Huthi rebels are attacking international shipping in the Red Sea.
Republican lawmakers have called for Austin to go - the latest Biden administration official they are targeting in a bid to hammer the Democrats ahead of November’s election.
But unlike the endless “you’re fired” of Donald Trump’s turbulent administration, Biden has emphasised stability, sticking to his close advisors through various crises, including the traumatic final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
The president said on Friday he remained confident in Austin, though he lamented the Pentagon chief’s lapse in judgment in failing to inform him about the hospitalisation. AFP
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
