Pentagon officials denounced Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to hide his cancer diagnosis and recent hospitalization, Politico reported.
Austin was initially hospitalized on Dec. 22 for surgery regarding prostate cancer and was hospitalized again on Jan. 1 for complications stemming from the operation, but he failed to tell the White House and several relevant parties at the Pentagon, including his deputy secretary, about his whereabouts or condition. Former and current Pentagon officials criticized Austin for not sharing this information with relevant parties, according to Politico. (RELATED: Pentagon Promises Probe Into Command Process After Lloyd Austin’s Unknown Absence)
“He made a deliberate decision to not share something so important at minimum with the POTUS. It was reckless and irresponsible,” one current Pentagon official anonymously told Politico, saying he was “disappointed” by Austin’s actions. “I don’t want to take away the human element of his diagnosis… However, his judgment should be questioned on this one.”
“His desire for privacy doesn’t outweigh his duties to the president, department, or nation,” a former Defense official who spent considerable time with Austin told Politico. “This decision jeopardized national security and kept senior decision-makers – to include his own subordinate leaders alongside senior White House officials and the president – in the dark. It wasn’t fair to them or the people that rely on him.”
When you don’t care about accountability for things like money, you inevitably won’t for things like military command and control.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the person who was “performing the duties of” Secretary of Defense (without being told) this week:pic.twitter.com/UMsv3RTA4a
— joshua steinman (🇺🇸,🇺🇸) (@JoshuaSteinman) January 7, 2024
Officials also criticized Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, for being informed about the Defense secretary’s hospitalization on Jan. 2 but also failing to inform the White House, according to Politico. Magsamen was ill that week and reportedly unable to inform anyone of Austin’s whereabouts.
“[Magsamen] is a force to be reckoned with,” the first DOD official said. “I highly doubt that her having the flu, unless she was unconscious, played a role.”
The White House and Pentagon have launched separate inquiries into command procedures when a cabinet secretary is incapacitated, and whether Austin followed those procedures. The House Armed Services Committee launched its own investigation into Lloyd’s actions and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Within the White House, senior administration officials believe those in Austin’s inner orbit will end up bearing the blame.
“Lloyd Austin is being ill-served by a political staff who are either accommodating his worst impulses regarding disclosures, and shutting out those beyond his loyal coterie,” a senior administration official told Politico. “Or he has staff who are advising him badly and forgetting they really work for the president in his administration.”
Austin said in a statement Saturday that he has taken responsibility for his actions and committed to be more transparent going forward. He had a discussion about the matter with President Joe Biden that same day, but still failed to tell him that his cancer diagnosis was the reason for his hospitalization.
The Pentagon directed the Daily Caller News Foundation to comments made Tuesday by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder about Austin’s current condition.
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