![]() ![]() His deputy, Kathleen Hicks, partially assumed some of his duties from Jan. Pat Ryder announced that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. On Friday evening, as many people were turning toward their weekends,ĭOD spokesperson Maj. NBC News reports that Austin spent four days in the intensive care unit. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), SASC’s top Republican, called Austin’s silence “unacceptable” and demanded a briefing on the matter. Must address promptly” why the White House wasn’t informed of his hospitalization for days. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that Austin “ “The president has to know where his Cabinet members are at all times.” “The NSC is part of your team, it’s part of the family,” he stated during a brief interview. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”Ĭhuck Hagel, the former senator who served as defense secretary during the Obama administration, said the Pentagon absolutely had to let the NSC know about Austin’s condition and whereabouts. In a Saturday statement after an earlier version of this story published, Austin said, “I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. “This should not have happened this way,” said one of the U.S. ![]() The Pentagon didn’t make the information public until Friday evening, notifying Congress about 15 minutes before releasing a public statement. National Security Council staffers were surprised it took the Pentagon so long to let them know of Austin’s status. A National Security Council spokesperson echoed that sentiment, noting Biden “is looking forward to getting back to the Pentagon.”īut the news of Austin’s situation came as a shock to all White House staff as they were unaware the Pentagon boss was dealing withĬomplications following an elective medical procedure, the officials said. “The president has complete trust and confidence in Secretary Austin,” the official said. All officials and other people who spoke for this story were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.īiden held a “cordial conversation” with Austin on Saturday night, per one of the U.S. ![]()
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