White House to review protocols after Austin's secret hospital stay
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The White House is reviewing Cabinet practices for distributing authority following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's unannounced hospitalization.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 31, 2023 (AP)
According to a memo acquired by Axios, the White House is reviewing Cabinet practices for distributing authority following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's unannounced hospitalization.
According to the memo, its purpose is to "direct your agencies to submit your existing protocols for a delegation of authority to the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, and to ensure an updated process for such delegations in the interim."
Amid the review, cabinet agencies must follow certain procedures in the event that a delegation of authority is required, such as notifying the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and the White House Chief of Staff of any delegation or potential delegation, the document notes.
The memo stated that this communication should occur when agencies anticipate or prepare for a delegation of power, as well as when the delegation happens.
According to a statement provided by the Pentagon's Walter Reed of the National Military Medical Center authorities, the prognosis for US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who had prostate cancer and underwent a minimally invasive surgical treatment last month, is excellent.
"As part of Secretary Austin’s routinely recommended health screening, he has undergone regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) surveillance. Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment," the statement said.
"His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent."
Austin was hospitalized in early January, according to Walter Reed, because of complications from his cancer surgery in late December.
Officials stated that although his infection has disappeared and he is still moving toward a full recovery, the procedure might take some time.
US President Joe Biden is not considering terminating Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from his position, a White House source told Reuters Monday.
Austin kept the President and the public in the dark about his illness on New Year's Day for many days until admitting to "full responsibility" for the cover-up on Saturday.
Republicans in Congress responded angrily to revelations that the Pentagon waited several days to notify top officials about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's illness. Some Republican senators have already demanded that Austin testify or be ousted due to what one has described as a "serious breakdown" in communication.
Senior Defense Department and White House officials are still unaware of the procedure's specifics, and there has also been no explanation for the decision to keep information about Austin's medical emergency from the public, including the President.
Austin issued a statement on Saturday in response to a POLITICO article about the three-day gap between his hospitalization and the White House knowing about it.
A former DOD official called the concealment a "next-level problem", adding that "someone made the decision not to disclose. That person will likely be gone shortly.”
Austin issues statement: “I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
— luis martinez (@LMartinezABC) January 6, 2024
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the evening of January 1 "for complications following a recent elective medical procedure," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement, without providing details on the complications or the duration of the hospital stay.
For several days, both Congress members and leaders within the Pentagon were unaware that Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, the Associated Press reported, citing US officials. This lack of knowledge prompted queries about the Pentagon chief's condition and the confidentiality surrounding it.
According to several US officials, several high-ranking Pentagon officials reportedly only became aware of Austin's hospitalization on Friday. The officials mentioned that US President Joe Biden and key White House personnel were briefed earlier, though the exact timing wasn't revealed.
