The decision to keep Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization a secret even from the commander-in-chief for several days raised an issue, the National Security Council’s spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday, as President Joe Bidenhas said he maintains confidence in the Pentagon chief.
Austin, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington after he was admitted on Jan. 1 following a complication in his recovery from a prostatectomy procedure on Dec. 22, 2023.
While Biden, who only learned of Austin’s hospitalization on Jan. 4, acknowledged that the way the incident was handled showed a lapse in judgment, he told reporters on Friday he still stood by Austin.
Kirby didn’t offer much detail on Austin’s condition, but said his doctors think “he may need some additional care.”
“I understand that part of that is just physical therapy,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Kirby said Austin is working from his hospital room and has taken part in discussions concerning his department, including the decision to strike Houthi militia in Yemen in coordination with the British, in another escalation of ongoing tensions in the Middle East amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
“He’s actively involved and engaged,” Kirby said. “And I think it’s important for people to remember that the Cabinet officials don’t have to sit and talk every single day to make every decision. A lot of the work that gets done in national security is done at the staff level.”
But Kirby conceded that the initial decision to keep the White House in the dark was an issue.
“That’s a problem,” he said. “And the president has spoken to that. That is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s certainly something we need to get more answers to.”
The Pentagon’s inspector general, Robert Storch, on Thursday announced an investigation to review whether the department’s “policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications, and the effective transition of authorities, as may be warranted due to health-based or other unavailability of senior leadership.”
Austin’s office and the White House have also ordered separate probes.
While the incident raised eyebrows in Washington, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who sits on the Armed Services Committee, on Sunday said while there was clearly a breakdown in the chain of command, he believes Austin should stay in his post.
“His health and well-being is what I’m most concerned about, and his dedication to our country,” Manchin told CBS’ Margared Brennan. “I think we owe something to make sure we have the facts before we put politics. Politics is always going to ask, though for someone’s head, always does. And this toxic atmosphere is what people don’t like anymore.”
