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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to the press on August 18, 2021, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
Olivier Douliery | Afp | Getty Images
The Defense Department inspector general’s office has launched a formal investigation into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to notify the White House and Congress of his emergency hospitalization.
The inspector general’s office will “assess whether the DoD’s policies and procedures are sufficient” to ensure proper communication when senior leadership is unavailable for medical or other reasons.
The inspector general’s office is independent from the Pentagon. It requested that Austin “designate a staff member to serve as our point of contact” by Jan. 16.
For at least three days, Austin did not tell President Joe Biden and Congress that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit for complications following prostate cancer surgery.
During that time, Austin transferred certain operational responsibilities to his second-in-command. But for several days, Austin did not tell his deputy, who was in Puerto Rico at the time, that he had transferred authority to her.
In a statement Jan. 5, Austin said that he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.”
“This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure,” he added.
As of Thursday, Austin remained in the hospital but had been moved out of ICU, according to a Pentagon spokesman.
Lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have launched their own inquiries into the incident, specifically requesting details on the transfer of Austin’s duties to his deputy. Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, also notified the president’s Cabinet of a review of processes for when Cabinet members transfer authority.
Austin underwent the initial prostate cancer surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22, where he was under general anesthesia for several hours. At first, he seemed to be recovering well, doctors said.
But on Jan. 1, he was rushed back to Walter Reed and later admitted to the intensive care unit after he began experiencing “nausea and severe abdominal, hip and leg pain.” Doctors found abdominal fluid build-up that had compromised the function of his small intestines.
Biden and the National Security Council found out Jan. 4 about the hospital stay. They were not informed about his cancer diagnosis, or the reason for his hospitalization, until a week after that.
The lack of transparency sent shockwaves through Washington. Several lawmakers have called on Austin to resign. The Pentagon and the White House insist the secretary will not step down.
Austin’s personal medical emergency occurred during a particularly fraught week in foreign affairs as the U.S. considered, among other things, whether to launch air strikes to deter further Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. also conducted a deadly drone strike in Baghdad against an Iranian-backed militia leader.
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