The fallout from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s secret hospital stay just keeps getting worse, with reports from CNN and Politico this weekend uncovering new details of Pentagon brass left out of the loop and blame games behind the scenes.
When the deputy secretary of defense was first asked to take on some of Secretary Austin’s duties on Jan. 2, she was not informed that the Pentagon head was hospitalized, according to a Sunday CNN report.
Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, did not learn the truth until Thursday, a full three days after Austin was transported to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to treat complications from a surgery.
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This only raises more questions into why Austin’s health scare was kept a secret, despite Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder telling CNN on Sunday that it was “not uncommon” for Austin to hand off responsibilities without sharing a reason.
The situation became even more convoluted when Hicks had to put a hold on her plans to return to Washington, D.C., on Friday because she was notified that Austin would be coming back to his job, although just working from the hospital, on Friday.
A defense official said that Austin was still at the hospital on Saturday night and another revealed to Politico that Joe Biden had a “cordial conversation” with him and still holds “complete trust and confidence” in his defense secretary.
Ryder told CNN on Sunday that Austin “has no plans to resign.”
Politico reported on Sunday morning that White House and Pentagon staffers believe the Secretary of Defense’s job is not under threat, especially after four officials said his call with the president appeared to go over well. They noted it was a rare mistake and explained that Austin was safe due to it being an election year, the difficulty of getting another Secretary of Defense confirmed by the Senate, and his close relationship with Biden due to his friendship with the president’s late son, Beau Biden.
But Politico also cited other officials who remained skeptical, with some believing a senior aide at the Pentagon will get fired. “Someone’s head has to roll,” one of them said.
The retired four-star general released a Saturday statement to thank the “amazing” medical staff and say he is “on the mend.” He also stated his realization of “media concerns about transparency” and said he would “commit to doing better.”
