Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) became the first congressional Democrat to call for the resignation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, following the secretary’s secrecy about his recent hospitalization due to complications following a prostatectomy.
“I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command," Deluzio said in a statement. Deluzio is an Iraq War veteran and serves on the House Armed Services committee.
President Biden, who tapped Austin in 2020, was not made aware of Austin’s prostate cancer diagnosis until Tuesday. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December, and scheduled a one-night stay to have the prostatectomy on Dec. 22.
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But Austin was later readmitted to the hospital on Jan. 1 after enduring complications from a painful UTI, his office said. The infection “has now cleared,” they insisted this week—while his doctors said they were relieved the cancer was was caught early. “His prognosis is excellent,” they said in the statement.
Austin later apologized for the lack of transparency, saying he “could have done a better job.”
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