President Joe Biden was told that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had prostate cancer on Tuesday – the same day the public was informed, sparking more questions about the transparency of the administration and whether the public can trust their government.
‘Nobody at the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning and the President was informed immediately after we were,’ White House spokesman John Kirby said at the daily press briefing.
Kirby got defensive as he was repeatedly queried about why the commander-in-chief didn’t know the conditions or the where abouts of his top military officer. Austin was diagnosised with cancer a month before his Dec. 22 surgery. He was released the next day and returned to the hosptial via ambulance on Jan. 1 for complications. Biden was told Austin was in the hospital on Jan. 4.
‘We all recognize that this didn’t unfold the way it should, on so many levels, not just the notification process of the chain of command, but the transparency issue. We all recognize that. And I think we all want to make sure we learn from that,’ Kirby said.
‘It’s certainly not good, which is why we want to learn from this and we want to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.’
President Joe Biden was told that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had prostate cancer on Tuesday – the same day the public was informed
Austin was hospitalized to be treated for prostate cancer, the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday after days of criticism for hiding the defense secretary’s secret hospitalization. Biden was told by his chief of staff Jeffrey Zients.
‘On Dec 22 after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer,’ the hospital said in a statement about Austin.
His cancer was ‘diagnosed early and his prognosis is excellent.’ But he also suffered complications on Jan. 1 that required an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
His complications included ‘nausea with severe abdominal, leg and hip pain.’ The early diagnosis was a urinary tract infection but further examination showed Austin, 70, had a fluid build up in his abdomen that was impairing the function of his small intestines.
The infection was treated by a tube placed through is nose that went down to his stomach. The infection has cleared, the statement said, and Austin ‘continues to make progress.’ He ‘never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,’ the statement said although it also said Austin underwent anesthesia for the Dec. 22 surgery.
The announcement came as more lawmakers began to question why Austin was hospitalized and why it took the Pentagon four days to inform President Joe Biden and five days to inform the public. Senior administration and defense officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was last seen in public on December 20th (above); he was hospitalized to be treated for prostate cancer , the Pentagon announced
White House spokesman John Kirby got defensive as he was repeatedly queried about why the commander-in-chief didn’t know the conditions or the where abouts of his top military officer
Eight in ten men and six in ten black men are diagnosised with prostate cancer every year. The risk grows for men as they age. It is the most common cancer among men in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer in the United States is 97%.
Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday ordered cabinet secretaries to keep it informed when they may not be able to perform their duties as the fallout from Austin’s hospitalization continues.
White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients, in a memo, directed cabinet officers to examine their policies for delegating authority when a secretary is out of commission and to send those procedures to the White House for review.
He also made clear that White House officials expected to be kept up to date about developments like major medical issues.
‘Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation,’ Zients wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times. ‘This notification should occur when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.’
The Pengaton said on Tuesday it is correcting its procedures.
‘The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,’ Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder said at his briefing.
‘Nothing is more important to the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense than the trust and confidence of the American people and the public we serve and will continue to work every day and work hard every day to earn and deserve that trust,’ he said.
He noted the Pentagon was conducting an internal review of the matter.
‘We want to make sure that notifications are happening in a timely way. And this way, as we’ve acknowledged, there were some shortfalls and so it’s important that we go back and look at what those shortfalls work. What could have been done better and make sure that going forward. We’re improving those processes,’ he said.
‘We’re committed to making sure that we don’t do this again. And then we do a better job next time.’
Secretary Austin was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients sent a memo to Cabinet officials demanding the White House be told if there are major medical or other issues
‘The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,’ Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder said Tuesday
Zients also directed Cabinet officials to ensure power is transferred ‘when a cabinet member is traveling to areas with limited or no access to communication, undergoing hospitalization or a medical procedure requiring general anesthesia, or otherwise in a circumstance when he or she may be unreachable.’
The memo was sent out as President Biden and his team continue to deal with the political headache left to them after Austin failed to inform them of his hospitalization until four days after it occurred.
Austin could have broken the law by failing to report his absence, the Pentagon has launched a full investigation into the matter and one Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment against the defense secretary.
Austin remains at Walter Reed Medical Center but is out of the ICU and has retaken control of his authorities as the head of U.S. armed forces. The White House has said President Biden backs him but lawmakers in both parties are questioning the Pentagon’s handling of the situation. The White House also had said they would be conducting a review of the situation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could have broken the law by failing to report his absence – he is seen above participating in the Virtual Red Sea Security Summit at NAVCENT headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, on December 19
The Pentagon said Monday night that it’s still unclear when Austin will be released from the hospital but vowed to give daily updates until he is out.
Many officials remain uncleared for days about what elective procedure Austin went to the hospital for on December 22nd and what he suffered from in its after affects. It is unclear when President Biden was told.
Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement on Monday that Austin ‘continues to experience discomfort but his prognosis is good.’ Ryder said that Austin is in ‘good condition’ and that he is ‘recovering well and in good spirits.’
As part of the fallout, Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding Austin’s hospitalization, the Pentagon announced late Monday night.
But the matter was not referred to the Defense Department inspector general’s office for an independent review. It will be led by Jennifer Walsh, the Pentagon’s director of administration and management.
Magsamen had been ill with the flu and was unaware that Austin had been hospitalized. Officials have cited her illness as one of the reasons the White House wasn’t informed about the secretary’s condition.
Austin’s top staffers knew about his hospitalization on Jan. 2, the day after it occurred, however. Biden wasn’t told until Jan. 4.
The review will establish a timeline of events beginning Jan. 1 when Austin was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed and examine how decisions were made about informing officials of his condition.
‘This review will help to ensure clarity and transparency when a determination has been made that certain authorities have been transferred,’ Magsamen wrote. ‘And that proper and timely notification has been made to the President and White House and, as appropriate, the United States Congress and the American public.’
Kelly Magsamen (left), Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding the defense secretary’s hospitalization
The White House announced President Biden backs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (seen above with Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the White House on August 30th)
Earlier Monday, Ryder acknowledged that he knew of Austin’s hospitalization on Jan. 2 and should have pushed to inform the public sooner.
In an hour-long back-and-forth with reporters, which was held off-camera, Ryder offered no explanation as to why the White House wasn’t informed sooner.
Asked if Austin directed any of his staff to withhold information, he answered indirectly, saying: ‘That is one of the things we’ll be looking at in terms of process improvements.’
Legal experts told Reuters that Austin may have violated a U.S. law on ‘reporting of vacancies’ that requires the head of executive agencies to ‘submit to the Comptroller General of the United States and to each House of Congress’ any vacancies and the name of the person filling the vacancy.
The Marine Corps announced late Monday that its commandant, Gen. Eric Smith, underwent successful open heart surgery
The Comptroller General would then relay that information to the president and the Office of Personnel Management.
The law is largely procedural and does not spell out any penalties for lapses. Austin would likely face only a reprimand from Biden.
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps announced late Monday that its commandant, Gen. Eric Smith, underwent successful open heart surgery Monday.
The Marine Corps said the surgery repaired a bicuspid aortic valve in Smith’s heart, which caused his cardiac arrest on Oct. 28. The Marine Corps, back in October, had announced Smith’s heart attack within 24 hours of it occurring.
‘He is in good condition and recovering at the hospital with his family,’ they said.
The prompt public disclosure and details of the surgery were in stark contrast to how officials handled Austin’s surgery.
The Marine Corps handling of General Smith’s surgery has resulted in comparisons to the Pentagon’s handling of Secretary Austin’s surgery
The Pentagon continues to refuse to say what procedure Austin had or describe the complications he suffered.
It’s unclear if even the president knows but the White House made it clear that Biden backs Austin.
‘There are no plans for anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue in the leadership that he’s been demonstrating,’ White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
‘Our main focus right now is on Secretary Austin’s health and making sure that he gets all the care and the support that he needs to fully recovered,’ he said.
Neither Kirby nor White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would say if Biden knows what medical condition his defense secretary is suffering from. Biden and Austin spoke on Saturday.
‘I don’t know the level of the president’s personal knowledge of his (Austin’s) medical situation. That would really be between the two men,’ Kirby said.
‘That it is not something that we can speak to right. This is his own medical – it is it is a private thing – this is something that the Secretary and the Department of Defense would speak to,’ Jean-Pierre said.
Kirby pledged the White House would investigate the matter, looking at the ‘process and procedure’ regarding the location and health of senior officials after Biden was not told for four days that his defense secretary was in the hospital.
He said the administration would perform a ‘hot wash,’ which is a military term to describe an intense, quick review.
‘As you might expect, we’ll take a look at process and procedure here. And try to learn from this experience and if there’s some changes that need to be made, in terms of process and procedure, we’ll do that,’ Kirby said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was last seen in public on December 20th (above) on the USS Gerald R Ford
Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Monday night that he is filing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Austin
Republicans have seized on the issue and Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Monday night that he is filing articles of impeachment against Austin.
Rosendale says Austin has ‘violated his office’ multiple times, giving the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal and the Chinese spy balloon debacle as examples.
‘Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens,’ he said in a statement.
‘This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week.
‘Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people,’ he added.
Rosendale is mulling a Senate run in Montana, even as GOP leaders have already thrown their weight behind another Republican in the race, Tim Sheehy.
Democrats, too, have expressed concern.
Sen. Jack Reed, the Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, made his first public remarks about the situation on Monday. He spoke to Austin on Sunday.
He said he wishes Austin a ‘speedy and complete recovery’ but has concerns ‘that vital chain of command and notification procedures were not followed while the Secretary was under medical care.’
While Austin is taking responsibility for the secrecy, ‘this was a serious incident and there needs to be transparency and accountability from the Department,’ said Reed. This lack of disclosure must never happen again.’