It took the Pentagon three days to inform President Joe Biden and other administration officials that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized, resulting in a scandal and calls for his resignation. Now, the White House says it is conducting a review of agency protocols on notifying officials of a cabinet member's inability to perform their duties, as well as guidelines on how to delegate authority in the absence of a cabinet member. Cabinet Agencies are required to notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and the White House Chief of Staff when those agencies expect or are preparing for any delegation of authority, and again when that delegation occurs, according to a memo from Zients’ office. Confirmation of a cabinet member’s absence must be documented in writing and their replacement must be in contact with their White House counterpart. “Agencies should ensure that delegations are issued when a Cabinet Member is traveling to areas with limited or no access to communication, undergoing hospitalization or a medical procedure requiring general anesthesia, or otherwise in a circumstance when he or she may be unreachable,” states the memo. Austin, a 41-year Army veteran who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq and oversaw all combat operations there, was admitted to the intensive care unit on Jan. 1, as POLITICO reported. The White House wasn’t made aware until Jan. 4. However, after mounting pressure from the Biden administration and members of Congress, the Pentagon has now revealed that Austin underwent a procedure to treat prostate cancer on Dec. 22. On Jan. 1, Defense officials say Austin was admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland to treat complications resulting from the procedure, which included a urinary-tract infection, as well as abdominal, hip and leg pain, and nausea. On Jan. 2, Austin’s responsibilities were transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, but the White House was not notified for two days. The Pentagon says the delay occurred because Austin’s chief of staff was out sick with the flu. Following the incident, Austin is facing calls to resign or be fired. Former President Donald Trump wrote on in a post on his social media network Truth Social: The White House is ordering cabinet officials to notify Chief of Staff Jeff Zients if they are unable to perform their duties as officials manage to contain the fallout from the multi-day disappearance of a top official.
Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty. He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was, or might be. He has performed poorly, and should have been dismissed long ago, along with 'General; Mark Milley, for many reasons, but in particular the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our Country! Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called for Austin’s removal on social media platform X, stating, “In September, I used the Holman rule to FIRE Secretary Austin. He isn't capable of leading the Department of Defense. And he just proved it again by keeping it a secret when he was very sick and in the ICU."Loading...
