Lloyd Austin kept Pentagon, Biden in the dark about prostate cancer surgery that caused absence
Not even Lloyd Austin’s colleagues knew the defense secretary had undergone surgery to treat prostate cancer last month — complications from which put him out of commission for five days last week, a Pentagon spokesman admitted Tuesday.
Austin underwent the initial prostatectomy on Dec. 22 and developed “severe abdominal, hip and leg pain” from a urinary tract infection late on New Year’s Day, his doctors announced.
But it wasn’t until Tuesday that the secretary notified President Biden, his subordinates and the public of his cancer diagnosis.
“As far as the situation in terms of what the elective surgery was, we’re providing that information to you as we received it,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters from the Pentagon briefing room moments after Austin’s doctors issued their statement. “We got it this afternoon and provided it literally minutes before I stepped in here.”
Austin, 70, was released from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC one day after the initial procedure to remove his prostate. But he was back in the hospital a little more than a week later and was moved into intensive care on Jan. 2.
Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 5, Austin was unable to execute his duties — while the Pentagon failed to inform not only Biden of the situation, but also Austin’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time.
The White House said Monday that Austin has since resumed his work from his hospital bed.
Hospital officials said the infection has “cleared” and that they expect Austin to make a full recovery, “although this can be a slow process.”
Austin’s chief of staff Kelly Magsamen issued a memorandum Tuesday announcing that the DoD’s director of administration and management would “immediately lead a review” of the incident and “evaluate the processes and procedures through which the deputy secretary of defense was notified that she should carry out” Austin’s functions.
However, it was Magsamen herself whom the Pentagon blamed for the delayed notification of Austin’s condition, with Ryder saying Monday that the message was not sent because the chief of staff – who is responsible for such communications – was out sick with the flu at the time.
Ryder told reporters that the Pentagon “recognize[s] that we have to do a better job in terms of timeliness and transparency when it comes to, especially, the secretary’s health.”
“We’re going to look at what we could have done better to include within my own organization on the public affairs side and making sure that we are acknowledging and asking those hard questions about ensuring that the public … Congress, and the news media have a timely and accurate understanding of the Secretary’s status,” he said.
Both Ryder and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted Tuesday that the incident represented a “challenge to [Austin’s] credibility,” though the White House has insisted that Biden has no plans to fire Austin or ask for his resignation.
But that has done little to quell the concerns of some in Congress who say Austin should step down over his disappearing act.
In a letter to Biden on Tuesday, Reps. August Pfluger and Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) and Scott Franklin (R-Fla.) called the secretary’s actions a “blatant violation of the Pentagon’s Principles of Information and serious lapse in judgment.”
“It is unacceptable and unconscionable that the principal cabinet member responsible for US national security would be absent without notice of leave, designating an alternative chain of command or making relevant members of Congress and the executive branch aware of such an absence,” they wrote.
In a meeting Tuesday with the Pentagon Press Association, which represents reporters who cover the DoD, Ryder “apologized for how the situation was handled and took personal ownership for not pushing a public disclosure out sooner.”
“We also pressed for Austin to meet with the media and do a briefing when he returns to address the many questions everyone has,” the PPA said. “We stressed the damage that this had done to Austin’s credibility, as well as that of the department and the public affairs office.”
