Report: Pentagon waited days to notify White House that Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin was in ICU

The Department of Defense on Sunday released information about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization, saying he was admitted to the intensive care unit of Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Jan. 1 after suffering severe pain following a medical procedure performed on Dec. 22.

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The statement, released by Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, did not provide any details about what medical procedure Austin had nor what complication required him to be admitted and sent to the intensive care unit. Nor did it give the reason why Austin’s condition was not relayed to President Joe Biden earlier.

Ryan explained that Austin was placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit “due to his medical needs, but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space considerations and privacy,” The Associated Press reported.

Austin was still in the hospital as of early Monday morning.

According to the AP, neither the White House nor the National Security Council were notified that Austin — who in addition to being Defense secretary is sixth in the line of succession to the presidency — had been admitted to Walter Reed until he had been there for at least three days.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was not told that Austin had been hospitalized when she assumed some of his duties on Tuesday, two defense officials confirmed to CBS News.

Hicks had been vacationing in Puerto Rico and returned Saturday, according to one of the officials.

According to Ryder, neither the National Security Council nor Hicks was not notified until Thursday that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. 1.

Ryder said Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was ill and “unable to make notifications before then.”

The top Democrat and Republican lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee released a joint statement that called for the Pentagon to be transparent about Austin’s health “and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week.”

“Several questions remain unanswered including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the Secretary’s current health status is, how and when the delegation of the Secretary’s responsibilities were made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the President and Congress,” the joint statement said.

Some in Congress questioned who authorized a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad last week that killed the leader of an Iranian-backed militia that the U.S. blamed for recent attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria.

Ryder said that prior to his hospitalization, Austin had authorized the strike. A Biden administration official told The New York Times that the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, already had authorization for the strike.

The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, also issued a statement about Austin’s handling of his hospitalization.

“When one of the country’s two National Command Authorities is unable to perform their duties, military families, Members of Congress, and the American public deserve to know the full extent of the circumstances,” Wicker said in the statement.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he disagreed with former Vice President Mike Pence, who said that Austin’s actions were a “dereliction of duty.”

“Now we have some laws in this country, HIPAA laws, that keep us out of people’s medical businesses, and I do believe this man has as much right to be protected by those laws, and be subjected to those laws, as everybody else.

“He does have a duty to keep the public informed,” the South Carolina Democrat said. “And I don’t know whether it was him, or someone inside the military establishment that decided to do it this way, but I am sure he will do a little better going forward as he said he would.”

In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification.

“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” he said, acknowledging the concerns about transparency. “But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

Austin was back on the job on Friday, according to Ryder. He said Austin is able to carry out his full duties from the hospital, has secure communications at Walter Reed, and is in contact with his senior team, getting updates and providing guidance.

Ryder did not say when Austin may be released from the hospital.

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